SPORT

ALFRED CLARK,

"\V
oJ FOREST DEPARTMENT. 'i

A. M. & J. FERGUSON,

COLOMBO, CEYLON.

5?>o<x5xx>ooSwc

md

erst

ELEY BROTHERS-

Co, Ltd.1

Colombo & Kandy.

CEYLON.

(See inside of back cover.)

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

FACE OF A VEDDAH MAULED BY A BEAR.

SPORT

IN THE

LOW-COUNTRY OF CEYLON

ALFRED CLARK,

Forest Department^

Author of " The Finding of Lot's Wife," "A Dark Plaoe
of the Earth," "in a State of Nature," Ac.

[With four full-page Illustrations, adapted from Photographs
blocked by Skeen & Co.]

Colombo :

A. M. & .1. FERGUSON,
1901.

SK.237

PREFACE.

This uittle book on " SPOKT IN THE Low-CouNTKY "
is submitted to the public by the writer with diffidence,
as he feels that there are men in the Island who are
more competent than he to write on the subject. He,
however, believes himself to be not altogether without
qualifications for the undertaking, as he has spent the
greater part of twenty-five years in the forests of the
low-country, and has thus had, of necessity, many
opportunities of observing the habits of wild animals
and of learning by experience the best, pleasantest and
cheapest ways of obtaining sport. It is not expected
that experienced sportsmen will learn anything new
from the following pages, but it is hoped that the little
book will be found useful by strangers and new-comers
going on their first shooting trip to the low-country. So
far from deprecating criticism, the writer will be very glad
to hear the views of " old hands " who consider him to be
mistaken in any statement made. The indulgence of
reviewers and readers is, however, asked for one or two
of the illustrations, which are not all that could be
desired, owing, however to no fault of Messrs. W. L. H.
Skeen & Co. who did the best that could be done with
the only photographs available.

M3G8952

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER, PAGE.

I. — Sport in Former Days ... ... 1

II. — The Low-country Forests ... ... 5

III.— Elephants ... ... ... 12

IV.— Elephant Shooting ... ... 24

V. — Elephant Catching as Sport ... ... 31

VI. — Leopards ... ... ... 39

VII. — Leopard Shooting ... ... 47

VIII.— Bears ... ... ... 52

IX.— Wild Buffaloes ... ... ... 58

X.— Sambhur (Elk) ... ... ... 61

XI.- Cheetul (Spotted Deer) ... ... 60

XII.— Muntjak (Red Deer) ... ... 71

XIII. -Wild Pigs ... ... ... 73

XIV.— Crocodiles ... ... ... 78

XV. — Miscellaneous Game ... ... 84

XVI.— Peafowl, "."^Jungle Fowl, Snipe, and

Partridges ... ... ... 92

XVII.— Tank Birds ... ... ... 100

XVIII. -Night Shooting ... ... ... 107

XIX. -The Game Laws ... ... ... 116

XX.— The Decrease of Game: its Causes and

Remedies ... ... ... 119

XXI.— Lost in the Forest ... ... 131

XXII. —Hints for a Shooting Trip ... ...

XXIIT.-AFew "Dont's" ... ... 155

Appendix ... ... ... i — ix

CHAPTER I.

SPORT IN FORMER DAYS.

mHERE was a time, within the memory of men still
living, when Ceylon was a perfect paradise of
sport. Sixty or seventy years ago the Island was
simply one huge forest from the summits of the central
hills to the sea coast. The jungle came up to the backs
of the small towns in the interior, the coffee estates were
few and far between, the tanks and fields in the low-
country were mostly overgrown and the scattered vill-
ages sunk in the sea of trees.

The higher ranges, above the elevation at which paddy
will grow, about 3,500 feet, were almost uninhabited but
were not pathless, for they were intersected by well beaten
tracks made by those master road-makers, the elephants,
zigzagging up the slopes, running along the ridges and
through the gaps of the hills. These paths were used by the
natives when crossing the country or going on pilgrimage
to Adam's Peak. The pilgrims travelled in large parties,
shouting " Sadhu ! " every few minutes, partly from
religious fervour, but more with the object of frightening
away any wild animals in the forest ahead. Elephants
roamed in broad daylight over the patanas or upland
grass-covered plains, and the valleys and swamps were full
of sambhur feeding unmolested.

2 SPORT IN CEYLON.

In the low-country the great unbroken forest, which
stretched from Dondra Head to Palmyra Point, simply
swarmed with game. Elephants were as numerous in
this hot, dry country as in the cold, wet hills ; great
droves of wild buffaloes wallowed in the tanks ; thousands
of leopards and bears infested the rocky hills and stony
tracts ; spotted deer grazed in the glades in herds of an
hundred or more ; and wild pigs rooted about in countless
numbers;

Almost the only check on the increase of these wild
creatures was the periodical outbreaks of murrain. The
last of these efforts of nature to prevent over-population
of the forests, of which there is record, is one which
killed numbers of elephants, deer and pigs in the Matale
district in 1831. Great destruction was no doubt
wrought by leopards, crocodiles and other predatory
creatures ; but the number of animals shot by the natives,
with the few antiquated guns they had, must have been
very small.

Some idea of the numbers and boldness of the wild beasts
which infested the Ceylon forests in the earlier part of the
century may be obtained from the following facts : —
Herds of elephants were to be met with in the immediate
vicinity of the towns. It was not uncommon for boutiques
on the outskirts of the Hambantota bazaar to be looted
of fruit and grain by these creatures. One, in 1829, chased
a man who had fired at it into the main street of that
town and trampled him to death. On the tappal-roads
places of refuge were built in trees into which the runners
climbed when, as often happened, they met elephants
which the beating of tom-toms and waving of torches
failed to drive off. These huge beasts were little reduced
in number by the great kraals organized every year in
the Matara district, though two or three hundred head
were sometimes caught at one drive. In 1831 Government
began to offer rewards for their destruction, and for a

SPORT IN CEYLON. 3

good many years hundreds of them were killed annually
and their tails and trunk-tips taken to the Kachcheris.
Great numbers were shot by European sportsmen. The
well-known Major Rogers is said to have killed over
thirteen hundred ; also to have purchased his steps in the
Ceylon Rifle Regiment by the proceeds of the sale of the
ivory obtained from sixty tuskers he shot, a statement to
be received with caution. A party of four guns in 1837
killed 104 elephants in three days. Elephant spearing was
successfully practised by the natives in the earlier part
of the century. A herd was surrounded at night by men
carrying torches and tom-toms, and the terrified creatures
were easily killed. A member of the Civil Service, writing
about 1820, states that he saw at Kottadeniya six elephants,
all lying within twenty yards of each other, which had
been thus speared by the natives.

Leopards were extremely numerous, as the forests teemed
with deer and pigs and other animals on which they
preyed. As illustrating their boldness it may be related
that, in 1826, the Government Agent of the Southern Pro-
vince having announced his intention of visiting Wellewe,
the headman went to get the rest-house ready for his
occupation, but found it tenanted by a pair of leopards
with cubs. He called together the villagers and they
attacked and killed the leopards with guns and bows and
arrows and secured the cubs. Bears were scr numerous
and mauled so many jungle people that Government
offered rewards for their destruction, which are still paid.
The wild buffaloes were much more dreaded then from
their numbers and aggressiveness than at the present day.
Sambhur were looked upon as useless creatures, ' ' no part
of him being eatable, but the marrow out of his marrow
bones." There was no inducement to shoot spotted deer,
except a few for food, as there was no sale for their hides
or horns. An old writer asserts that a cart-load of shed
horns could have been picked up in a day in the southern

4 SPORT IN CEYLON.

forests. It sometimes happened in those days that sports-
men became surfeited with sport, the game being so plenti-
ful and easily killed that shooting became butchery rather
than sport.

The change which has come over Ceylon, as a sporting
country, during the last half century, is very marked. The
immense forests which once covered the hills from Kandy
upwards, have disappeared with the exception of some
thousands of acres giving cover to perhaps a dozen elephants,
a score or two of leopards and a few hundred sambhur.
Tea estates now cover the hillsides and no traces remain
of the ancient elephant paths, save in the highest regions,
at the back of the Knuckles and West of Adam's Peak.

In the low-country the forest remains in appearance
much as it was fifty years ago ; but in place of the few
tower muskets and flint-lock guns then treasured by the
jungle people many thousands of guns of all kinds are now
owned by them. A trade in horns and hides has sprung
up, created chiefly by itinerant Moor hawkers who barter
for them cloths and other commodities and provide the
powder and bullets. The slaughter of game became so
great, some twenty years ago, that Government was forced
to make stringent laws to protect deer as part of the
"food supply of the people." There is reason to fear
that game is still being illicitly killed in excess of the
natural increase, but when means have been found of
properly enforcing the existing laws, game is sure to
become in the course of time fairly plentiful, and Ceylon
will again be what it once was, one of the best countries
in the world for sport.

CHAPTER II.

THE LOW COUNTRY FORESTS.

HE forests of the low-country of Ceylon stretch
from the foot of the hills on the North, East and
South to the sea coast and cover about 12,000
square miles. From the tops of the hills the low-
country looks like a sea of primeval forest ; but, as
a matter of fact, the whole extent was at some time
or other under cultivation. Thousands of old bunds of
tanks of all sizes, overgrown with huge trees, may be
found in it, about one to every square mile. The beds of
these ancient tanks and the fields under them are now
stretches of thorny scrub. The only real forest is to be
found on the high ground between the tanks, and even this
was probably all cleared and cultivated in years gone by.
There are also great stretches of park-country and grass
plains, and swamps formed by the overflow of the larger
rivers. The whole country is intersected by torrents
which run with violence during the rains, are strings of
pools for some months afterwards and are dry from about
July to November. There are also numerous ponds, rock-
pools and springs, all of which are connected by game
tracks made by wild animals going to water. The extent
and variety of cover and the abundance of water and
fodder make the forests of Ceylon an ideal home for wild
animals.

6 SPORT IN CEYLON.

All parts of this wilderness are not, however, equally
populated by forest denizens. There are large tracts
where game is scarce, though the conditions appear to be
precisely similar to those of adjoining districts where deer
and other wild creatures abound. Comparatively few
animals are to be found in the high forest, they apparently
preferring open country interspersed with trees and bushes
where they can feed about freely, can escape more easily
from the attacks of carnivorous enemies and are less ex-
posed to the stings of winged insects.

It is a curious fact that, in size and also in length and
weight of tusks, antlers and horns, the wild animals of the
Island are, as a whole, inferior to animals of the same
species on the mainland of India. The explanation of this
probably is that the whole of the low-country, having been
formerly under cultivation, as is proved by the existence of
hundreds of old tanks in the forest, game must then have
been very scarce. The few hundred years during which
this cultivated country has been gradually relapsing into
wild forest has not been a sufficiently long time for the law
of the "survival of the fittest" to take effect. This law,
which brings about the perpetuation of the finest types in
all classes of living things in a natural state, is believed to
require ages to produce appreciable results.

Wild animals are usually regarded as creatures of the
night ; and it is undoubtedly true that they feed chiefly in
the earlier part of the night and in the early morning. This
habit they have acquired simply from their fear of human
beings. In very wild districts, where there are no villages,
elephants, deer and pigs may be seen feeding out in the
open in the daytime much more frequently than in places
where they are liable to see and smell men. Wild beasts
are often supposed to have eyes which enable them to see
in the dark, but they do not really differ from domesticated
animals in that respect. On dark, cloudy nights grazing
and browsing animals do not feed, but stand about waiting

SPORT IN CEYLON. 7

for the light. When there is a moon they feed all night
without lying down for their usual midnight sleep.

Many people imagine that wild animals wander aim-
lessly about, and that a herd of deer, which at the beginning
of the year roamed the southern forests, might possibly be
found at the end of the year in the northern forests, a
hundred miles away. No wild beast, however, wanders
far from the place where it was born. The range of a
herd of deer or a drove of pigs probably never exceeds a
few miles, within which every path and pool is familiar to
each member of it. Elephants having fewer enemies have
wider ranges, but even they probably never go beyond a
radius of ten miles. Animals will only leave their accus-
tomed haunts when compelled by thirst in the dry weather
to go and look for water. When a herd is stampeded by
a gunshot or the rush of a leopard, they will scatter in all
directions, but every member of it knows where the rest of
the herd is likely to go and makes for the spot and they
are all soon united. It is fear that makes wild animals
keep to their own restricted ranges ; for every beast is
aware that if it ventures into unknown forest, it will be
attacked by its fellow beasts whose domain it is. No herd
will admit a stranger unless it be a big male which is
able to hold its own by its fighting powers.

There is no doubt that all the animals of one species,
in particular forest districts, have, owing to local con-
ditions, some peculiarity in build, colour or other res-
pect, which distinguishes them from similar animals of
another district. The old head clerk of the Mannar
Kachcheri, who had measured scores of elephants brought
there for shipment to India, claimed, and with justice,
that he could tell at a glance whether any elephant
brought up, came from the Northern, Eastern or'Southern
Province. Similarly all the members of a herd have
often some inherited malformation or mark. This may

8 SPORT IN CEYLON.

especially be noticed in the case of elephants, and careful
observation would no doubt prove that each herd of deer
and buffaloes and drove of pigs had some distinctive
peculiarity.

Most people suppose that all animals of any one
species have the same disposition, that they all have
the same degree of courage, ferocity, cunning, &c. The
truth is that they vary greatly in character. In the
same herd may be found bold and cowardly, ferocious
and mild, stupid and cunning members. All who have
had to do with elephants, recognise that they differ
greatly in disposition, and such no doubt is the case,
in a lesser degree, with all wild animals. Want of ap-
preciation of this fact has led to very different estimates
being formed by different sportsmen of the character
of wild beasts. The man who has been hunted by a
hard-headed, fighting bull-elephant will have a different
opinion of elephants in general, from the man who has
shot half-a-dozen mild, inoffensive, old "allians" with-
out so much as a wag of the tail in protest.

It is a common but erroneous idea, that when any
danger threatens a herd, the bulls or males will attempt
to protect the females and young. In the first place
bull-elephants, he-buffaloes and wild-boars are seldom
found with their herds, preferring to wander about by
themselves, only joining their families occasionally to
court the females. Should any adult male happen to be
with the herd when an alarm is given, it is generally
the first to bolt. An old female will often act as leader
of the herd, and, if the nature of the danger is unknown,
will advance to ascertain what it is. Herd elephants
will sometimes combine to help a member out of a pit,
and buffaloes will charge an enemy in a body ; but as
a rule each wild animal looks after itself only. Should
a female give birth to a young one, the rest of the
herd will not regulate their movements to the needs of

SPORT IN CEYLON. 9

the mother and helpless offspring, but move off uncon-
cernedly. A motherless calf or fawn will usually be
butted and kicked and otherwise maltreated by all
the rest. Leopards and bears, so far from helping wounded
companions, will attack them if they cry out in pain.

It is very doubtful whether there is in this island
any particular season when female wild animals drop
their young. In countries where there is a winter
season the necessity for a breeding season is obvious
enough ; but where, as in the low-country of Ceylon, the
temperature varies only a few degrees throughout the
year, and food and water are almost always to be
obtained, there is no reason why breeding among wild
animals should not go on all the year round. It is also
very doubtful whether bucks invariably shed their horns
annually, or whether there is any particular season
when they shed them.

People who have had little to do with wild beasts
commonly regard elephants, leopards, bears, etc., as
ferocious creatures, always prowling about " seeking
whom they may devour." It may, however, be
taken as a truth that wild animals are ordinarily far
more afraid of human beings than the latter are o
them. The only desire of all wild creatures, always
excepting "rogue" elephants and man-eating leopards
and crocodiles, all of which are exceedingly rare, is to
escape when they happen to meet men. It is only
when wounded, cornered or taken by surprise, that they
will attack. Even when actually trampling on, biting
or clawing their victims, wild beasts will sometimes be
seized with panic and bolt. The forest creatures also fear
each other, and herds of different species, both harmless ,
will not commonly feed in the immediate vicinity of
each other.

The marvellous way in which the colours of wild an i

2

10 SPORT IN CEYLON.

mals harmonize with their usual surroundings, always
impresses observant sportsmen. The slatey hue of
elephants makes them almost invisible at night or when
standing in the deep shade of the high forest in which
they take shelter during the day ; grey-yellow spotted
leopards standing or crouching in forest flecked with
light by the morning or evening sun are most difficult to
distinguish ; the black hides of bears, relieved with
patches of white on head and breast, make it impossible
to see them when wandering about in the forest at night
or when lying in dark caves or hollow trees ; the dappled
coats of spotted deer standing still in glades bordered by
trees covered with many-tinted leaves are often indis-
cernible till they flick their tails exposing the white under-
neath ; the colour of crocodiles closely assimilates to the
mud on which they lie during the day ; and numbers
of other animals, reptiles and birds are so marked and
tinted by nature that their colour not only hides them
from their enemies, but enables them to secure their food
more easily.

There is an everlasting struggle for existence going on
in the forest. What with danger from hunters, carni-
vorous beasts and males of their own species, the lift' of
wild animals is one long watch, the result being that in the
course of many generations the senses of these creatures,
sight and hearing, and especially smell, have become
extraordinarily acute. The sufferings of the forest
denizens are frequently severe. Beasts of prey, being un-
able to catch their victims for days together, often suffer
from extreme hunger, and all animals from thirst in the
dry weather. ( Vises of bears and pigs jumping down
village wells, and of sambhur and spotted deer going
down to the sea and drinking the salt water in their
extremity are common enough. The wild creatures of the
forest frequently meet with accidents. Elephants,
though extremely cautious in their movements, have
often stuck fast in the mud of tanks and have been

SPORT IN CEYLON. 11

known to fall over precipices. Bears which had thrust
their heads into hollows of trees to get at honey have
been found in that position, heing unable to withdraw
them. Leopards have been lamed by thorns in their pads,
producing deep ulcers which made it impossible for them
to obtain food, resulting in their starving to death. It is
probable that few wild animals, except elephants, leopards
and bears, ever die of old age. All other animals, as soon as
their muscles begin to stiffen and their senses to fail, fall
victims to predatory beasts. The fate of most carnivores,
when old and weak, is probably to be killed and eaten by
their relatives.

It is generally supposed that dead wild animals are
seldom seen. The stinking remains of sambhur, spotted
deer and pigs, killed by leopards, may often be found-
The rotten meat is soon disposed of by the forest-scaven-
gers, pigs and jackals, and the bones by the porcupines
and jungle rats. Shed horns too, gnawed almost entirely
away by these last, may sometimes be picked up. Dead
elephants are not infrequently found, but they are
generally trespassers on paddy-fields, which had been
fired at by villagers and had afterwards died in the forest.
It is a mystery what becomes of dead monkeys. Hun-
dreds must die every year, but no one ever found the
body of one which had died a natural death in the forest.

It is a curious fact that natives, even jungle people who
see wild animals almost every day, have many ridiculous
and superstitious ideas in regard to them, the falsity of
which would be made manifest in many instances by the
exercise of a little common sense. These absui dities are
repeated from father to son, and are so fully believed that
few natives ever think of questioning them. A good
many instances will be given in the following pages.

CHAPTER III.

ELEPHANTS.

OF all animals the elephant is undoubtedly one of the
strangest. It seems to belong rather to antediluvian
times than to the present age as it possesses
many of the peculiarities of structure which distinguished
the earth-monsters of those days, such as great size,
column-like legs, flexible trunks and great flapping ears.
In shape and habits it differs very much from almost all
other existing mammals. It has no hocks, but knees on
its hind legs ; its only pace is a walk and it can neither run
nor leap ; it conveys its food by means of a prehensile
trunk to its mouth, into which it is drawn by a hooked
tongue ; it drinks as no other animal does by sucking up
water into its trunk and injecting it into its stomach ; it
squirts water o ver its body in the same way to cool itself ;
its testes are in the abdominal cavity and it cannot there-
fore be castrated ; its fore-feet are round and its hind feet
oval ; it is said that its lungs adhere permanently to its
ribs ; that from the position of its blood-vessels it cannot be
bled, and that it has no fat in its composition.

Elephants are to be found in almost all the forests of
Ceylon, but are not equally distributed. There are large
jungle tracts where scarcely any are to be met with. There
are very few in the hills, not more than a dozen or so,
though it is probable that before the opening up of the

SPORT IN CEYLOX. 13

coffee districts, they were rather more numerous there than
in the low-country as they prefer a cool, moist climate to a
hot, dry one. At the present day they are «nost numerous in
the Wanni or forest district of the Northern Province, in the
Tamankaduwa District of the North-Central Province, the
interior of the Eastern Province and the Hamhantota Dis
trict. It is probable that there are not more than two
thousand wild elephants in Ceylon all told.

They may be met with in all kinds of cover but prefer
high open forest in which they can move about freely,
sheltered from the heat of the sun. Low lands liable to in-
undation are favourite haunts and are commonly pitted
with their huge foot-prints. They usually come out into
the open plains, tanks and fields at night, returning to the
shelter of the forest when day breaks. At certain seasons
of the year, when worried by flies, they often stay out in the
open or on the outskirts of the forest for some hours every
morning. The habits of each herd depend very much on
whether they are liable to be disturbed or not. If not
molested in any way, they will remain in the neighbour-
hood of some favourite drinking place for weeks. In out-
of-the-way districts solitary elephants may be seen feeding
in tanks and open places morning and evening.

The sizes of herds vary from families consisting of a cow
elephant and one or more calves to twenty or thirty cows
and young ones of both sexes. Each herd is in fact a
family, all being related to each other. Consequently it
often happens that every member of a herd has some phy-
sical peculiarity common to all. As many as sixty
elephants have been said to have been seen together in
recent years, but it is probable that they were made up of
two or more herds which had congregated at some tank
in some unusually dry season.

Solitary elephants are usually spoken of by people who
know little about these animals, as *' rogues"; but, as a
matter of fact, all bull elephants, as soon as they arrive

14 SPORT IX CEYLON.

at full growth, wander off by themselves, only joining the
herd, from time to time, to pay attentions to some
particular cow ; and are ordinarily very inoffensive, timid
creatures. Occasionaly solitary hull-elephants, only half-
grown, are met with, which have in some way got separated
from their own herds and have heen refused admittance
into others. It is common for two adult bulls, generally
very old ones, to fraternize and to go wandering about
together.

As is well known, the vast majority of male elephants
in Ceylon have no tusks, but only short tushes set verti-
cally in the upper jaw. Females also have tushes, but
they are very small. Tuskers are sometimes met
with, but are extremely scarce. It is probable that there are
not now more than fifty of all ages in the whole Island.
That they were pretty numerous in former days is shewn
by the fact, that, when Kandy was conquered in 1815,
among the loot were 289 tusks weighing 5,951^ Ib. Tuskers
are usually not so big as the tuskless bulls, but are broader
across the forehead and have bigger frontal bumps, while
the hollow between the ear and eye is not so marked.
Tusks are no doubt merely fighting weapons, for they do
not appear to be used in any way in obtaining food.
Very fine tusks, quite as big as the average size of Indian
ones, have been got from tuskers shot in Ceylon. Occasion-
ally ** single tuskers" are met with, which have had the
misfortune to lose, by accident, one of the pair they were
born with. The heads of such are generally in a terrible
state, the hollow of the broken tusk and its base being
full of maggots and stinking horribly, with sometimes
the eye on that side destroyed. Natives believe that there
is undying enmity between tuskers and tuskless bulls, and
that they never meet without fighting ; that the shape of
a tusker's fore-feet is oval as well as the hind feet, and
that it has a different trumpet from a tuskless male :—
all of which beliefs have no foundation. In the Mamnar
District, where most of the tuskers are to be found, the

SPORT IN CEYLON. 15

villagers tell marvellous stories of a bull with tusks so
long that it could only walk by holding its head back
at an unnatural angle, and of another which had mal-
formed, crossed tusks which prevented it using its trunk,
so that it was slowly starving to death !

One reason which has been given for the rarity of
tuskers in Ceylon, is the " scarcity of phosphates in the
soil" wThich sounds learned, but is ncnsense. Such a
theory would account for the total absence of tusks or
for their universal imperfect development, but not for the
fact that some elephants have perfectly developed tusks
and others none at all, but tushes instead. There can be
little doubt that tuskers and tuskless elephants are two
distinct varieties, the latter being the one indigenous to
the Island. The tuskers found in our forests are probably
the descendants of imported Indian elephants which
escaped and went wild. It is reasonable to suppose that
if there are two breeds of elephants in Ceylon, cross-
breeding would, in the course of time, produce a species of
hybrid animal. Native elephant-catchers and traders
assert the existence of such creatures and call them
" makanians." There was an elephant belonging to the
Rameswaram Temple a few years ago, which was said to
be one of this class. It had tusks, but they were set
vertically, almost touching the ground, and the whole
shape of the animal was abnormal.

The average height of full-grown male elephants is
about eight feet, and of female elephants about seven feet.
Bulls of much greater height are, of course, sometimes
found. The late Mr. Varian, of the Forest Department,
shot one in 1871 in the Trmcomalee District, which
measured by the tape as it lay 11 ft. 10 in., its fore-foot
measuring 66 inches in girth. Giant bulls, over ten feet
high, have been shot by other sportsmen, also cows over
nine feet. A bull over nine feet at the shoulder is an
exceptionally big beast. It is recorded that, out of severa

16

SPORT IN CEYLON.

hundred elephants caught in kraals in the south of the
Island in one year at the beginning of the century, only
three were over nine feet. Dwarf elephants are occasion-
ally found. A full-grown cow was caught for Govern-
ment in 1880, which measured only 4 ft. 10 in. at the
shoulder, the size of a two-year old calf. Albinos are
sometimes met with. There is no record of a "white
elephant,'* so called, having been caught or killed ; but
animals with large flesh-coloured marks, especially on the
head and ears, and with white eyes and toe-nails are
not very rare.

In their wild state elephants are extremely inoffensive
and unsuspicious. The members of a herd are strongly
attached to each other and they have good memories.
Elephants caught by the Pannikkans and taken to camp,
have instantly recognized others tethered there, which
had been caught out of their herd months before,
testifying their pleasure by fondling them with their
trunks and uttering deep rumbling sounds. They are
conservative and will not easily give up their habits,
such as going along some particular path or drinking at
some favourite pool, though driven away repeatedly. They
are also full of curiosity and will always investigate any-
thing strange to them which they come across. This trait
is not approved of by Government officers when it takes
the form of destroying foot-bridges, breaking down bound-
ary posts and pulling up survey pegs. Boulders which
they had obviously been trundling about with their feet
and trunks for amusement may sometimes be seen in the
dry beds of rivers.

Elephants have only one sense which is really highly
developed, viz., smell. They can detect the approach o
a man down-wind a long way off. When they observe
a taint in the air they will extend their trunks in the
direction from which danger is suspected, and one or tw o
strong inhalations will reveal to them the nature of the
danger. Their hearing is good enough, but as a rule they

SPORT IN CEYLON. It

make so much noise among themselves, feeding, rubbing
against trees, flapping their ears, and blowing over them-
selves that they may easily be approached up- wind undis-
covered. Their sight, compared to that of other wild
creatures, is very feeble. It is quite possible to stand in
the forest, apparently in full view of an elephant, without
detection, provided one does not move. Many elephants
have broken tushes and the probability is that this results
from their striking them against trees while bolting blindly
through the forest from some supposed danger. While
wandering about at night in the jungle they are probably
more guided by their senses of touch and smell than of
sight. They apparently can see things above them only to
a very limited height.

In spite of their bulk they can move quickly enough.
Ordinarily they saunter about with a kind of stately ease,
their great flexible-soled feet making no sound, but if
alarmed they hurry off with a sort of swift shuffle. When
going their best they throw out their legs with long strides
swinging their heads from side to side. Big bulls can go
about ten miles an hour on the level in the open, but
cannot keep up such a pace for more than a few minutes.
They are very cautious in all their movements and will
not venture on bridges or on swampy land if they can
help it. A deep ditch which cannot be stepped across is
impassable to them. They are good climbers, as the
elephant-paths which in old days zig-zagged all over the
hills, testified. Traces of them may sometimes be found
on the top of precipitous solitary rocks in the low-country.
They descend steep places by sliding down on their hind
knees with their f ore-legs extended. So far from there
being any truth in Shakespeare's statement that "the ele-
phant hath .... legs for necessity, not for flexure," they
can twist their apparently unwieldy bodies into all sorts
of postures and can turn with great quickness. They are
first-rate swimmers, being able to swim for miles without

I

1£ SPORT IN CEYLON.

rest, though they have not many opportunities of prac-
tising this accomplishment in Ceylon. In abnormally
rainless seasons when all the tanks and pools are dry they
will dig with their feet and trunks great holes for water
in the sandy beds of the low-country rivers.

They may be said to be on the whole silent animals.
The trumpeting heard in jungle districts at night is often
caused by calves quarrelling, though it sounds loud enough
to be the angry roars of some nine-foot bull. The shrill
blast or roar from the throat uttered by a charging
elephant is a distinctly terrifying sound, and the squealing
of one engaged in hunting the hunter, which sometimes
happens, is not pleasant to hear.

Elephants are most wasteful feeders, and the amount of
destruction which a small herd will accomplish in one
night is astonishing. They break down with their heads
and feet numbers of young trees, twisting off from each
a few truukf ills' of tender leaves. Trees of the fig tribe
abounding in milky sap are their favourite fodder. They
eat quantities of grass, kicking it up with their horny toes
and knocking the earth off the roots against their legs
with their trunks. They eat more or less all day and night
except when sleeping or on the way to their drinking
places.

In hot weather they go to drink a,s a rule at sunset,
making their way to the nearest tank or river-pool.
They go generally in Indian flle following well-worn
paths. No particular animal leads the way ; sometimes
a young calf goes first. They prefer deep water with
a hard bottom, into which they can safely wade and
roll about. If the water is shallow they will, after
drinking, bathe by throwing water over themselves with
their trunks. They will not drink very muddy water
except in extremity.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 19

Elephants usually sleep twice during the twenty-four
hours, viz., in the heat of the day and at midnight.
They sleep both lying down an! standing. When lying
down they like to rest their heads on higher ground
than their bodies so as to be able to rise easily. They
sometimes snore loudly while sleeping in that position.
When dozing on their feet they stand still, merely
napping their ears and swinging their trunks slightly
every now and then. Calves always lie at their mother's
forefeet.

The most characteristic trait of elephants is their rest-
lessness. When in health they are never quiet for a
moment, always swinging their heads and trunks, rubbing
their legs together, napping their ears and blowing
with their trunks. It is a certain sign that an elephant
is ill if it stands motionless with hanging head and
flaccid trunk. The statement that " man is the only
creature which uses tools " is controverted by the fact
that elephants often use bits of stick to scratch them-
selves with, an I branches to fan themselves. They are
fond of rubbing themselves against trees to relieve the
irritation caused by little parasitic insects which infest
the wrinkles in their thick hides. It is for the same
reason no doubt that they throw e:irth over themselves.
It is a common practice with them to gash the trunks
of trees with their tushes probably to relieve some
pain or irritation. They suffer a good deal from
intestinal parasites, to get rid of which they eat quan-
tities of earth periodically, which has a purgative effect
on them.

Bull-elephants are capable of propagating their kind
when from fifteen to twenty years old, and cows generally
have their first e .lives at about the same age. Much
nonsense has been written as to the midiis cnpulandi and
many absurd statements made in connection with the same

20 SPORT IN CEYLON.

subject, —some of which are still believed by natives such
as, that tuskless bulls are of the neuter gender, that male
elephants have their testes in their heads, that the
females are influenced in their sexual desires by the
phases of the moon, that they are of so modest a
nature that they will not allow the males to cover them
in the presence of men, that each female will consort
with only one male, and that the first-born of every
female is a tusker-calf. It has, however, been provcnl
beyond doubt that the bull-elephant has connection with
the cow in the manner common to all quadrupeds, [and
that from first to last there is nothing abnormal in the
provisions of nature for the propagation of the elephant

When any female is in the condition to receive the male,
the wandering bulls rejoin the herd and there is frequent
fighting for her possession till the biggest and strongest
male drives off his rivals. He then follows her about con-
tinually as is the custom of all animals in such circum-
stances. The half-grown bulls do not attempt to fight but
hang about, slinking away quietly when the big successful
bull approaches and utters threatening rumbles. After a
few days the bulls all leave the herd and resume their soli-
tary wanderings.

When unable to satisfy their sexual desires bull-
elephants get into a dangerous condition called '* must,"
one sign of which is the slight discharge of an oily fluid
from the temporal glands. While in this state, which may
last a week or two, they eat very little and are very
excited and restless.

hi fighting, elephants butt each other and try to bear
each other down. Should one knock its enemy on to its side
it will go on pounding it with its ponderous head, without
allowing it to rise, till it has crushed the life out of it.
They do not always fight fair, having a vicious habit of

SPORT IN CEYLON*. 21

tail-biting. Stump-tailed elephants are not at all un-
common. Elephants often kick heavily, swinging out their
hind legs with surprising quickness. They can als) strike
heavy blows with their trunks.

Females carry their young about eighteen or nineteen
months. There does not appear to be any particular time
for them to drop their calves. They have usually only
one calf at a time, but twin calves arc sometimes born.
A newly-born calf is a comical long-legged little creature
about three feet high and 200 Ibs. in weight with staring
eyes and short inflexible trunk. The natives say that the
mother throws earth over it directly after birth, probably
to protect it from flies. After a few hours the calf
staggers to its feet, but is not able to go about and join
the herd for several days. The dugs of .the cow are
between its forelegs, and the calf sucks standing in front of
its mother who fondles it with her trunk. Mothers suckle
their calves for two years or more and they have been
seen suckling two calves of different ages. The milk is
plentiful and very rich.

The number of persons annually killed by wild elephants
is very small. When a death of this kind is reported it is
always said to be the work of a "rogue." Such loss of
life is, however, nearly always accidental, the unfortunate
man having come suddenly on the elephant, which being
taken by surprise and its instinct of self-preservation
roused, rushed at him, knocked him down and trampled
on him and then bolted panic-striken at its own violence.
When an elephant really means murder, it will kick or
shuffle its victim backwards and forwards between its legs
and crush him to the ground with its huge head till it
leaves him a shapeless mass of flesh and bones. They
have been known to afterwards carry the bodies of their
victims in their trunks for some distance.

Real "rogues" which infest a certain forest and lie

22 SPORT IN CEYLON.

in wait for travellers and deliberately trample on them
or tear them to pieces are extremely rare, there being
few recorded instances. Every year notices appear in
the " Government Gazette " offering rewards for the des-
truction of "rogue elephants." Some of these are said
to have killed men, the circumstances not being stated,
and others are reported to have scared tappal-rurmers
and delayed the mails. Nothing is said in these noti-
fications as to the size, sex or marks of the proclaimed
" rogue," and it is difficult to understand how " proof
of the destruction of the animal" is to be given under
such circumstances ; especially as there are probably a
dozen or more bull-elephants wandering about alone
in the forest specified.

"Rogues" are popularly supposed to be elephants
which have been turned out of the herd for miscon-
duct! The fact, however, that a "rogue's" career of
murder is generally very short seems to prove
that it is simply a bull suffering from temporary
sexual excitement. As soon as the fit of "must" has
passed, it probably becomes a quiet inoffensive beast
again. This theory is strengthened by the fact that
female "rogues" are never heard of. A tame elephant
which has gone wild is said to make the worst kind of
"rogue," having lost its fear of men. There have been
not a few cases of svipposed "rogues" killing buffaloes
and cattle.

Of all .wild animals, elephants are most dreaded by
jungle villagers, more on account of their impressive size
than of danger of attack from them. They do a great
deal of harm to the paddy-fields and chenas and are
constantly fired at by the watchers. Almost every wild
elephant caught, is found to have a number of boil-like
lumps on its hide, being old bullet-wounds.

They live to a great age. In wild districts old solitary

SPORT IN CEYLON. 23

bulls may not infrequently be met with which are quite
deaf from old age, and partly blind. They pay no atten-
tion to shouts, giving the impression of being peculiarly
wicked ''rogues," but should they get the wind of
any human being in the vicinity, they will bolt at once.

CHAPTER IV.

ELEPHANT SHOOTING.

shooting is a kind of sport which few
people can afford to indulge in owing to the
expense. Only foreign princes and noblemen and
millionaire globe-trotters care as a rule to pay R100 for the
privilege of firing at a wild elephant. Very few licenses
are taken out by local sportsmen.

It " goes without saying" that for elephant shooting as
powerful guns as possible should be used. As shots arc
usually obtained at a few paces' distance, accuracy is not
so much required as bone-smashing power and shock. A
double No. 4 smooth-bore firing a hardened spherical
bullet with 12 drachms of powder, is probably the best of
weapons for the purpose. Elephants have however often
been killed with a single shot from a light small-bore.

Any person about to go after elephants for the first
time, would do well to carefully examine a skull at a
museum or elsewhere to learn the exact position of the
brain which is always the spot aimed at. In Africa, where
elephants are found in the open and can be ridden after,
body shots are usually given, but, in Ceylon, owing to the
density of the cover and the consequent necessity of drop-
ping the animal in its tracks, the head is almost invari-
ably fired at.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 25

The information given by villagers in remote districts
regarding the wild elephants in the neighbourhood is usual-
ly fairly trustworthy. They are sometimes able to state the
exact number in a herd and to add particulars, such as
that one limped and that there was a young calf, &c. The
old solitary bulls are often well known to them.

No sportsman will of course, knowingly fire at herd-
elephants, that is at cows or half-grown elephants, of
which herds usually consist. Tt is often necessary, how-
ever, to track down a herd to see if there is any big bull
among them. If a herd is come upon early in the morning
while they are feeding they will be heard before they are
seen, but if they are come up with towards mid-day, when
they are standing still in some shady spot asleep or half-
asleep, they will probably be smelt first owing to the
strong odour of their droppings. In either case it is easy
to get close to them without detection provided they
are approached up-wind.

Sportsmen, after satisfying themselves that there was no
bull worth shooting in some herd, have sometimes tried to
stampede the cows and calves with a shout, but it is not
always a safe amusement. Should any noise excite the
alarm of a herd they will all wheel round with cocked ears
and extend their trunks in the direction of the sound.
The young calves always run under their mothers' bellies
when danger threatens. An old cow will usually advance
a step or two and will probably strike her trunk on the
ground, blowing through it at the same time, thus pro-
ducing a sonorous sound which is intended to intimidate
the hidden enemy. After a few moments she will very
likely come striding on, rumbling and squealing, flapping
her ears and banging the brush-wood about with her
trunk. If she happens to be the mother of a young calf
she is likely to make things lively for the sportsman.
Shouting is of little use to keep her off, but a shot even

4

26 SPORT IN CEYLON.

into the air, is generally enough to make the whole
herd bolt. This is always a trying moment to a novice
who is apt to think from the crashing of jungle going
on all round that they are all charging down on him.
Elephants never charge en masse, hut there is, of course,
danger that one of the herd might, in its consternation,
holt in the direction of the hunter, knock him down, and
perhaps trample on him as it rushes past.

It is very difficult to distinguish the sex of an elephant
in dense forest, and it is quite possible for an unusually big
cow to be mistaken for a bull. No man should fire, how-
ever, till he has done his best to decide the doubt.

Legitimate elephant shooting is the following up to the
death of full-grown bull elephants. The recent tracks
of a solitary bull may easily be followed, even when the
ground is dry and hard. If it be seen that it has gone
straight on without stopping to feed or to throw earth over
itself, it will be necessary to hurry to overtake it. Should
it be going down-wind the chance of coming up with it is
a poor one. Tf the hunter hears, under these circumstances,
the sudden breaking of jungle ahead he should run
forward at once as the elephant has probably winded him
and is off. He may come up with it a few hundred yards
further and find it standing sideways, listening with
cocked ears, when, if he is quick with his shot, he may
drop it dead.

It is not quite so easy to approach a solitary elephant as
a herd, but if the wind is favourable and there are not too
many fallen rotten branches and dead leaves on the
ground there is little difficulty in getting within a few yards
of it. Many elephants have been crawled up to and shot
dead without their ever knowing what hurt them.

Should a solitary bull suspect danger near, it will stand
rigid as a rock for a few moments listening and smelling,
and will then turn and silently make off, Many a man

SPORT IN CEYLON. 27

who has got so close to one in dense forest as to distinctly
hear it blowing through its trunk and flapping its ears
has been amazed, on crawling up, to find the huge beast
gone without a sound ; the yielding horny pad of its foot
treading as softly as a naked human foot, and the under-
growth brushing noiselessly against its leathery sides as
it fled.

Elephants are sometimes come upon, lying fast asleep on
their sides. They should not be fired at in this position
for more reasons than one. A slight noise is sufficient
to waken the beast, and as it swings up its head to rise to
its feet it may easily be shot dead.

In firing at an elephant the effect of the shot depends
very much on the sportsman's position. It is as well not
to fire in a crouching attitude as the ball is likely to miss
the brain, going over it. If the animal is standing
broadside on, a shot in the hole of the ear from a standing
man ought to kill it instantly. If the right angle be
taken, according as the elephant stands with its head
partly turned towards or away from the hunter, the
brain may easily be reached. The front shot is the most
difficult as the ball may strike on the massive frontal bone
and penetrate but a little way. The shoulder shot is
certain to kill sooner or later, but should never be given
unless there is every chance of the animal being followed
up to the death. Some men have fired under the tails of
bolting elephants with some idea of breaking their backs,
also at their legs ; but such actions are not commendable,

An elephant on being fired at and only wounded, gener-
ally goes crashing headlong through the forest in its terror
for a few score yards and then subsides into its usual long
noiseless stride. The sudden cessation of the noise is apt to
make an inexperienced sportsman think that the. animal
has either dropped dead or has halted close by, but if he
does not follow it quickly he is not likely to see it again
that day, There is generally very little blood en- the traiJ

28 SPORT IN CEYLON.

unless the bullet has cut a large artery in the head in
which case the elephant will not go far. After going some
distance it may stop to rub its wounded head against a
tree which will be found smeared with blood. A wounded
elephant generally drops its dung soon after bolting, as
is the case with all hurt or frightened animals.

/ ^pWC fii\ Aj <Uc /fet d^/t ^/-^

It is easy enough, as a rule, to keep in the wake of a
bolting elephant in open forest, especially if it is badly
wounded, but it should be very cautiously followed in
dense thorny jungle, as it may, if hard pressed, turn
suddenly and charge its pursuer. In such circumstances
the only thing to be done is to stand steady and fire
the instant the brute's head appears, and then to scramble
out of its way. Care should be taken not to trip, as most of
the men who have lost their lives while after elephants
have been killed through falling in their path when
charging.

To be caught by a furious bull elephant is to be in a
very unpleasant position, but is not the certain death it
would seem, as elephants are so purblind and naturally
inoffensive that they fail as often as not in their clumsy
efforts to crush the life out of men completely in their
power. Sometimes an elephant making a rush, which is
half a charge and half a bolt, will, with a half turn and
a quick swing of its head, strike a blow with its trunk
at the hunter as it passes, who, if he gets the full force of
it, will be lucky if he escapes with only a broken arm or
crushed ribs. Elephants rarely charge more than once,
as the first well-planted head-shot generally takes all the
fight out of one. They charge in different ways accord-
ing to their dispositions, courageous ones with heads
held high, ears cocked, and trunks extended, but more
timid ones with swinging heads, flapping ears, and coiled
up trunks.

The coup de grace is often given to wounded elephants

SPORT IN CEYLON. 29

on being come up with, standing besides some pool to
which they have resorted, thristy with loss of blood and
unwonted exertion. They rarely make any sound on being
fired at. If very "sick" they will sometimes stand, and
receive shot after shot in silence, touching each fresh
wound with a quick movement of the trunk. When the
brain is touched the huge beast instantly sinks dead,
generally falling on its side but sometimes remaining on
its knees for a time in an upright position, There have
been many cases of elephants dropping stunned by a
heavy bullet, which have afterwards scrambled up and
made off, to the amazement of the hunter. .Some have
even had their tails cut off while lying senseless.

The feet may be cut off with a strong sharp knife, but
a light hatchet enables the operation to be more quickly
performed. This latter tool is also required to cut out tusks
or tushes, but it is better to leave these in the animal's head
and to send for them a week or so later when they can be
drawn out of their sockets without injury. There is little
or no risk of their being stolen, as no thief would be able to
dispose of such articles without detection. The tail is
always taken as a trophy. The ears are often cut off but
it is difficult to cure them properly, and they are generally
thrown awray after poisoning the air of the camp for
several days.

Pieces of the thick hide are sometimes taken to make
table-tops, the long leg bones to make stands for verandah
or hall lamps, and the vertebrae to be mounted as ink-
stands. Bracelets of elephant hair may be bought, and,
though not pretty, are worth having as curiosities. The
teeth are sawn into slabs by native jewellers and form
handsome caskets, knife handles and other articles.

It is so difficult to measure correctly the height of a
dead elephant lying on the ground, that it would be well if
foot-measurement were universally adopted. It is common-
ly said that the height of an elephant is exactly twice the

30 SPORT IN CEYLON.

girth of its forefoot. Though this is not the case, there being
big elephants with small feet, and small elephants with
big feet, the variations are slight, and, if the girth of the
forefoot is given, the height of the animal at the shoulder
may be calculated to within an inch or two. The feet
should be measured soon after death, as after being cleaned
out and dried they shrink several inches.

CHAPTER V.

ELEPHANT CATCHING AS SPORT.

aEYLON is the only place in the world where wild
elephants are caught by men on foot with nooses,
without the assistance of tame elephants. It is
somewhat surprising that so little should be known even
in the Island about this remarkable profession, though it
has been practised by natives for at least two hundred
years. In the days of the Dutch the Pannikkans, as these
elephant-catchers are called, were all enrolled by Govern-
ment and worked under stringent regulations, some of
which are volunta-rily observed to this day. The English
Government has never done anything to encourage or
keep alive the profession, which is dying out and will be
extinct in a few years. The elephant-catchers, now few
in number, are mostly inefficient and are all loaded with
debt to traders for advances received to catch elephants
which will never be caught.

The Pannikkans are all Moormen, and reside almost
oxnlusively in the Samanturai and Eravur Pattus of the
Batticaloa District and the Musali Pattu of the Manaar
District. They cultivate their fields and attend to their
ordinary business in the wet months of the year and only
go elephant-catching in the dry season from June to
October. Each Pannikkan takes a gang of about a dozen
men with him to carry provisions and ropes and to assist in

32 SPORT IN CEYLON.

the tying up, removal and care of any elephants noosed.
One of the men acts as mottakaren or general manager,
and another as the annavi or performer of religious
ceremonies. According to old custom the Pannikkan gets
20%, the mottakaren 20%, and the annavi 12|% of the
proceeds of the sale of any elephants caught. In addition
5% is devoted to religious ceremonies and 5% to charity,
and the balance is equally divided among all the gang
including the leaders.

Though the Pannikkans call themselves Mohammedans
and observe the precepts of the Koran, they are also
devil-worshippers. No elephant-catching expedition is
entered on, till the five forest demons, male and female,
feared by all jungle villagers, have been duly propitiated
by ceremonies and offerings. Every day while the expedi-
tion lasts, before the party starts to look for elephants, a
coconut is broken by the annavi at the edge of the forest
and offered to the demons with supplications for success.

A Pannikkan will eat but little on the morning when
he leaves the camp in search of elephants and his attire
is of the scantiest, consisting merely of a narrow strip of
cloth passing between his legs, with the ends tucked into
a belt. Over his shoulder he will carry his noose-rope
made of raw hide, half of deer and half of sambhur skin.
It is always from 20 to 22 feet in length and about 3-J
inches in girth, and has a noose at one end and a large
knot at the other. The noose of a new, well-made rope
when opened for use to a diameter of about two feet will
stand out as stiff as a barrel-hoop. The eye is very
carefully made to slip easily to the end, and is so
fashioned that when a strong strain is put on it, it will
lock on the rope so that the noose cannot be shaken
off by the captured elephant. The men who follow the
Pannikkan carry spare ropes, also one or more loaded
guns to be used if any elephant charges.

r

The best place for elephant-catching is fairly open forest,

SPORT IN CEYLON. 33

through which men can run easily, and where there are
numbers of young trees to which the captured animal can
he made fast. No Pannikkan will attempt to noose in
thick, thorny jungle, it being too dangerous and likely to
result in failure.

On finding traces of elephants, the party follow the track
till they come on the herd. The Pannikkan ant1 one or
two staunch followers then creep forward to reconnoitre,
and if they catch sight of a nice half-grown animal
standing conveniently near, prepare for action. When
all is ready a gun is fired and a shout raised, whereupon
the whole herd will bolt headlong. With the noose of
his rope open in his right hand and the slack in his left
the Pannikkan springs out and is soon at the heels of the
animal selected for capture. As the frightened beast
strides along the elephant-catcher thrusts the noose
between its hind legs so that the animal steps into it • with
its left foot, whereupon he jerks it tight and lets go the
whole rope. He then follows hard looking ahead for
some convenient tree to make the beast fast to. On
seeing one he springs forward, catches up the trailing
rope and passing the end round the tree slips the knot
through the hitch. The next moment the elephant is
brought up with a jerk that may throw it on its head.
If the rope stands the strain the beast will pick itself up
and pull with all its might. While it stands with its
noosed leg straight out behind, the men following hurry up
and deftly slip one or more additional ropes on to its leg
and make them fast. Finding itself unable to break the
ropes an elephant will often turn and charge, but the men
have usually very little difficulty in slipping out of its
reach. A powerful elephant will sometimes break several
ropes in succession till, cowed and exhausted, it is finally
caught. Should one of the men following succeed in
getting his noose on a running elephant's leg first, and it
is afterwards caught, he is thenceforth entitled to call
himself a " Pannikkan" and to add the word to his name,

5

34 SPORT IN CEYLON.

Iii noosing elephants there are two sources of real
danger. A Pannikkan dashing forward too eagerly may
find, while following an elephant, that there is another
close behind, when he must get out of its way and be quick
about it too. Sometimes when a captured calf bellows
its mother will turn and charge back viciously, when, if
the men have no gun ready with which to drive her off,
they must themselves bolt precipitately.

When the noosers see that an elephant with several
ropes oil its hind leg is fast and cannot escape they sit
down to rest and get their breath, and also to give the
captured beast time to smash down the jungle all round
it, thus making a cleared space in which it may be more
easily tied up. A noose is then laid on the ground and
the animal is induced to step into it with one of its
forefeet by being provoked to charge in that direction,
after which it is soon moored fore and aft to two trees
and cannot do more than swing its trunk furiously at
its enemies.

As the hard hide ropes, if left on too long, will cut
the animal's legs to the bone, they are taken off as soon
as possible. Ropes are slipped on to all its legs ; those
jii one side are crossed under it and the other two
slackened off. It is then induced to charge in a parti-
cular direction when the crossed ropes trip it up, causing
it to fall on its side. Two or three men at once throw
themselves on to its head, holding it down. Even a large
bull cannot rise if a couple of men are seated on its
head. The fallen animal will try to pull them off with
its trunk, but a man stands ready with a stick with
which he administers half-a-dozen blows on that sens? five
organ ; treatment which soon makes the beast cease its
efforts and coil up its trunk tightly.

A long, strong coir rope is then made fast round its
neck and a stout stick lashed to that part of it near

SPORT IN CEYLON. 35

its mouth to prevent the animal biting the rope. The hide
ropes are taken off its forelegs and a single rope left on
each of its hind legs. Next a rough path is cleared and
seven or eight men seize the end of the long neck rope
and stand ready, while the Pannikkan and another man
post themselves behind to attend to the hind leg ropes.
At a given signal the men holding the elephant down
spring off its head and snatching up spears lying to
hand stand on each side of it at a respectful distance.

The moment the animal rises to its feet the men holding
the neck rope give a shout and begin to haul their captive
along towards the cam]) or to some place near water where
they intend to tether it. Ii^ it charges down on them and
gets dangerously near them, the two men behind check
it by hanging on to the hind leg ropes, being mightily
jerked at every stride of the huge beast. The duty of the
men on each side is to prevent it turning aside by prods
of their spears. If it succeeds in breaking aw^ay to right or
left the two men behind speedily stop it by making the
back ropes fast to trees. When the animal's head has
been got round in the right direction, the ropes are
loosed, the men in front haul again on the long neck
rope and the whole party goes shouting and crashing
through the forest.

A newly-caught elephant is thus often taken a considerable
distance immediately after capture. It looks extremely
dangerous, but is not really so, which is proved by the
fact that accidents haidly ever happen. Even a big bull
is perfectly helpless and harmless in the hands of these
agile and experienced men. It cannot escape, though a
powerful animal will sometimes give great trouble by
turning right round and bolting, dragging all the men on
the neck rope through the forest, who have perforce to let
go. But with three ropes trailing from it, it cannot go
far before it is again made fast to a tree by the dexterous
Pannikkan following at its heels,

36 SPORT IN CEYLON,

Whilst an elephant is being moved its actions are care-
fully noted by the noosers who attach superstitious
importance to any peculiarities it shows, such as lying
down obstinately or turning to one side only in its efforts
to escape. Sometimes a furious elephant suddenly becomes
quiet when the men look blankly at each other, for they
know what is going to happen. In a short time it will
sink down and roll on to its side dead, having probably
ruptured some internal organ in its struggles.

On reaching the place where the animal is to be kept
till it is tame, strong but elastic coir ropes are put on its
hind legs and it is securely tethered. Fodder is then cut
and thrown to it, and a wooden paddy-mortar brought and
lashed to the tree in front of it and water poured into it ;
but an elephant will not usually either eat or drink for
a considerable time, being too exhausted and alarmed.

The jubilant noosers now examine their prize and
comment on its points. A high-caste animal has a massive
head, with prominent frontal bone, carried high, a back
sloping away from head to tail, a big round body on
stout legs, the fore ones being bowed in front, a powerful
thick trunk, large triangular ears and a well " feathered"
tail nearly touching the ground. The back of a low-caste
brute is higher than its small head, it has a flat body,
thin trunk, long legs and small ears, and it is nearly always
more timid and uncertain in temper than a high-caste
one. Elephant-catchers also always note the lucky and
unlucky marks on animals caught by them. Among the
latter ;ire callosities on the neck, peculiarly-shaped white
patclii3s on the head, abnormal number of toe-nails and
black spots on the tongue.

It is probable that not one elephant in three survives
even if it does not die at once from the violence of its
struggles after capture. They often live a month or so,
become quite tame and then die from the change in their
habits forced on them and from the terrible leg sores they

SPORT IN CEYLON. 37

get, caused by the ropes. When these become so bad that
the toes drop off and the horny sole begins to part from the
foot, the animal is useless and is sometimes let loose, only
however, to die.

Pannikkans do not attempt, as a rule, to noose elephants
over six feet high at the shoulder, but this is only because
young animals of that size are most likely to survive cap-
ture and are most in demand. They can noose full-grown
elephants just as easily, the only difficulty in securing them
being that such powerful brutes will break rope after rope
before they are made fast. Huge eight-foot bulls have been
caught and successfully taken to camp by these men.

Every Paimikkan believes in the existence of, and is
ambitious to catch a "muttu-komban" or pearl-tusker, a
mythical creature which has hollow tusks with big pearls
in them ! They also talk of the " tarasu-kombaii," a tusker
with ringed tusks, specimens of which they say have
been caught.

The prices now paid by traders to Pannikkans for ele-
phants are much higher than they used to be. About fifty
years ago not more than R100 or R150 at most was paid
for a six-foot animal, twenty-five years ago the price had
risen to from R250 to R300, and now no Pannikkan will
contract to catch and deliver one for less than R500.

The fact that fatal or even severe accidents are extremely
rare shews that elephant-noosing on foot is much less
dangerous than it would seem. The Pannikans themselves
hardly ever get any worse hurts than bad bruises, but their
followers, who have, through carelessness or in a spirit of
bravado, approached too near to captured elephants, have
sometimes paid severely for their recklessness.

Moormen are certainly pluckier than Sinhalese and
Tamils but not more so than average Europeans. It is
pretty certain that any young Englishman possessed of a
quick eye and hand, good running powers and wind, and

38 SPORT IN CEYLON.

an acquaintance with the habits of elephants, would be
able to noose them just as well as any Pannikkan, after a
little experience. It is rather strange that elephant-noos-
ing as a sport has never been attempted in Ceylon. It
would be far more exciting than shooting these huge
creatures, and probably less expensive as a license, to cap-
ture one costs only RIO against R100 for shooting it, and
should one be caught its sale would perhaps cover a large
part of the expenses of the trip. There would not be much
difficulty in engaging the services of an experienced Pan-
nikkan to give practical instruction and provide the neces-
sary ropes, &c.

Note. — The writer devised in 1879 a trap by means of
which he caught, with the permission of Government, a fine
young cow-elephant to carry his baggage when travelling.
His brother, the late Mr. W. H. Clark, subsequently trap-
ped nearly fifty elephants of all sizes, including one fine
tusker, in the Mannar District, Northern Province. He
was engaged in this work for about two years and gave it
up on joining the Forest Department. The writer spent
three weeks with him in 1881 at the Aruvi-aar river, and
can testify that for thrilling excitement elephant-trapping
leaves nothing to be desired. The trap is merely a very
strong hide noose set in a particular way in the path, by
which elephants go to drink in the dry season.

CHAPTER VI.

LEOPARDS.

•TT^T is almost unnecessary to say that the animal

commonly spoken of in Ceylon as the ''cheetah" is

really the leopard, felis pardus. It is known to

most men that the two animals are quite distinct, and

that the former, felis jubata, is not found in the Island,

nevertheless almost everybody, oven including well-known

sportsmen, persists in misnaming the only large feline

we have in our forests. The Sinhalese name of the

creature is "kotiya" and the Tamil name "puli."

It has been asserted by men whose opinions are entitled
to respect that both the panther and the leopard are to be
met with in the Ceylon forests. The former is said to be
the larger and to have twenty-eight caudal vertebra?
and the latter to have only twenty two. There appears
to be nothing else in their structure to differentiate
them, and it is difficult to believe that two species of
the cat-tribe, not to be distinguished from one another
by sight, could live together in the same forests and
remain distinct. Inter-breeding must, in the course of
centuries, have merged both species into one. The idea
probably rose through the well known variations in size,
length of limbs and tail and especially in colour to be
observed in individuals according to locality and age.
Natives who shoot at least fifty leopards for every one
shot by Europeans, do not recognise more than one kind,

40 SPORT IN CEYLON.

Leopards are fairly numerous in the low-country and
are to be found wherever there is cover, and game for
them to live on. In the hills they are now com-
paratively rare, owing to the conversion of the forests
which they once infested in numbers, into coffee and tea
estates. lfhey are to be met with in all kinds of cover,
in high forest, scrub, and bushy plains, but they prefer
low hills, ravines and rocky ground. Their ranges are
larger than those of most other animals, both because
they have to search for their prey and because they have
no reason bo fear other animals except stronger males of
their own species. A well-known peculiarity of these
creatures is their habit of wandering along roads, jungle
paths and game-tracks sometimes for considerable dis-
tances. Every traveller in the low-country forest is
familiar with its ''pugs" or round foot prints owing to
this habit.

Young leopards as soon as they are, old enough to hunt
alone, will leave their dams and lead solitary lives, two or
three leopards are often seen together, in which case they
are either a male and female pairing or a she-leopard with
one or more half-grown cubs.

The leopards of the low-country are, as a rule, larger
than those found in the hills. Adult males will measure
from six to seven feet from muzzle to tip of tail, stand
from twenty-two to twenty-six inches high and weigh
from 100 to 175 Ibs. The females are of course smaller than
the males. The ground colour of leopards varies from dark
cinnamon red to rufous fawn with black spots arranged in
rosettes and black rings on the tail. When seen in the
shady forest they appear to be of a dark grey colour, and
if standing still are not easily to be distinguised. Old
animals will generally be found to have very light skins,
the colour having faded from age, just as grey horses when
aged often become almost white. Black leopards are said
to have been shot but are extremely rare. They are be-
lieved to be merely freaks of nature.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 41

Leopards are ordinarily cowardly sneaking brutes, but
when driven by hunger will often act in the most daring
way. They have been known to lie in the jungle a few
yards from the "kill," quietly listening to men putting up
the ambush and to come out and begin to eat within
a minute after the men had left, also to enter native
"compounds" and carry off calves and goats in broad
daylight, also to snap up dogs trotting at the heels of their
master's horses. As a rule, however, they can be safely
driven away with stones ; they will only snarl as they slink
off. They are only dangerous when starving, cornered, or
wounded and are then very dangerous indeed.

No other wild animals have keener sight or a sharper
sense of hearing. It is to these two senses and their
wonderful agility that leopards have to trust to find and
secure their food. There seems little doubt that their
power of smell is very poor. If they possessed this sense
in the same perfection as their other senses, the forests
would soon be depopulated of game. It is, nevertheless,
beyond question that they often go days without food,
being unable to catch game. They are hardly ever seen
to put their noses to the ground to sniff as other animals
do, and appear to have no instinctive knowledge of the
advantage of stalking up-wind. When lying in wait for
deer and pigs coming to drink, they may often be found to
have posted themselves dead to windward of the path they
were watching.

They are very active climbers and often climb into trees
alongside game-tracks, from which they spring down on
deer and other animals passing below. If pressed by
hunting-dogs or other foes they usually spring into the
nearest tree. They have often been shot in this position,
but it is dangerous to fire at them under such circumstances
as, if only wounded, they will drop down, all teeth and
claws, when it is well not to be within reach. Like all the
cat-tribe they dislike getting wet and avoid muddy places,

6

42 SPORT IN CEYLON.

Deer of different kinds, pigs and numkeys are their
principal prey but they will eat any animal, bird or reptile
they can catch ; even iguanas, tortoises, and rats when
hungry. The remains of wild pigs killed by these creatures
are not often found, the reason being probably that
leopards are often afraid to attack them owing to their
clannish and courageous disposition. Three or four old
sows shewing a bold united front would probably succeed
in driving off any but a very ravenous brute. A full-grown
old boar would be a formidable antagonist to even a
powerful leopard. They sometimes succeed in pouncing
on peafowl in long grass and in bounding after and strik-
ing down jackals and hares in open places.

Monkeys are such noisy creatures that they are easily
found out by their spotted enemy. When a leopard appears
under a tree in which monkeys are, there is the wildest
excitement. The old males climb to the topmost branches
and bellow and bark furiously, whilst the females and
young ones spring frantically about. Meanwhile, the
leopard darts about underneath, every now and then
springing up against, or into the tree. Before long some
monkey, mad with terror, misses a leap and falls, or
losing its head, drops to the ground with the intention of
making for another tree and is instantly caught and killed.

The harsh grating roar which a leopard gives with its
muzzle to the ground when on the prowl is no doubt
intended to attract the attention of the deer in the
neighbourhood. As soon as the frightened creatures begin
to bell in response to the roaring their enemy turns off
in their direction guided by the sound. It continues to
roar till close to them when it will suddenly stop and
begin with rapid noiseless steps to stalk them. Before
the alarmed deer realize their imminent danger it will
spring out with short rapid bounds, rush in among them
and strike one down. This only happens when it chances
to come on them upwind, for if they scent it, they will be
off long before it can get near them. If it fails in its first
rush it rarely continues the pursuit.

SPORT IN CEYLON.

Leopards have been seen in broad-daylight trying to
attract the attention of deer feeding in the open by rolling
in the long grass and playing other antics. The curiosity
of the silly creatures being roused and not scenting
the wily brute they approached slowly with craning necks
and long ears cocked till near enough for their enemy to
bound among them.

The leopard always attacks its victim, if a quadruped,
by seizing it by the throat with its teeth and then grasp-
ing it firmly round the neck and shoulders with its
strong forelegs, either dislocates its neck with a jerk or
rips its stomach open by kicks of its claw-armed hind legs.
Deer and small animals generally roll over with the
shock of the brute's rush, but a fearful struggle will some-
times take place before a big sambhur stag succumbs to
its blood thirsty foe.

Leopards generally commence to eat the soft parts of
the belly of their victims, the udder if it is a cow, after
tearing out the entrails. If undisturbed they will eat the
whole of the carcase except the head and feet, including
the hide. If the day breaks while they are eating in the
open or if they hear any suspicious sound they will drag
the carcase away to a more secluded spot. When gorged
they will go only a short distance and lie down. If they do
not succeed in procuring fresh food they will return again
and again to the "kill " and continue to eat the carcase till
the remains have become a mass of fly-blown corruption.
There is little doubt that they will eat their own kind if
killed in fight or found dead.

Unless very thirsty they will not drink muddy water
but will go long distances to drink the clear water in rock-
holes and river pools. They invariably go off to drink after
every meal.

Female leopards have generally two or three cubs at a
birth, but a litter of as many as seven has been found.

44 SPORT IN CEYLON.

The period of gestation is about fifteen weeks. The breeding
place is generally a huge hollow tree or low dry cave. The
cubs are born blind and are of a brown colour with spots
not clearly defined. As soon as they can see and can run
about freely they accompany their mother in her wander-
ings. She-leopards are said to drive away the males while
they have cubs, lest they should kill and eat them. They
nevertheless do not appear to have the same affection for
their young as most wild animals have. There have been
frequent instances of their being driven off and their
cubs captured by unarmed villagers. She-leopards which
have lost their cubs, will, however, remain in the neigh-
bourhood two or three nights roaring for them. Young
leopards leave their mothers when about eighteen months
old, but continue to grow for about twelve months
afterwards.

Leopirds very rarely attack human beings unprovoked,
but cases are recorded of half-starved brutes attacking
sleeping men at night in lonely watch-huts and cattle-
byres. Man-eating leopards which have killed more than
one person are practically unknown. People killed by
these creatures have nearly always met their fate by
following them into dense forest when wounded or by
coming face to face with them suddenly on a jungle path.
Bites and scratches from these carrion-feeders are dan-
gerous as likely to produce blood poisoning. Natives say
that the decomposing flesh which collects in the groves of
the claws of leopards produces such irritation that to
relieve it they stand up against trees and scratch the bark
violently. Trees so scored may often be seen, but whether
for the above reason is not known. Leopards- are also
said to suffer from sore mouth and lips from feeding on
rotten flesh.

Cattle-killing leopards are commonly believed to be old
animals whose limbs have become too stiff and their teeth
and claws too worn for them to be able to catch and kill

SPORT IN CEYLON. 45

deer, but, as often as not, they are strong healthy young
animals. The probability is that they were driven by
hunger to attack village cattle, and finding how easy it
was to kill them, took to living on beef in preference to
venison. Leopards very rarely attack buffaloes, for as
soon as a herd scent one they will charge it in a body,
and if they catch it will soon gore and crush the life out
of it. The half -wild bull buffaloes which wander about
singly or in pairs, when not required for ploughing or
other work, appear never to be molested by these creatures.
Small village cows have been known to drive off and even
kill leopards which had attacked their calves in cattle-sheds.
A single leopard will sometimes make great havoc among
the cattle of a jungle village, killing them in broad day-
light with the utmost boldness. Such a "rogue" will
never return to its " kill" for a second meal, not from any
preference for fresh beef, but because it has learnt from
experience that it is dangerous to do so. As natives have
no other means of ridding themselves of such scourges
except by shooting them from ambushes over the "kills,"
the brutes often continue their depredations with perfect
impunity for a long time till shot by moonlight at some
drinking place in the forest.

The reward now paid for shooting a leopard is R5, but
it is unnecessary as a native has sufficient inducement to
destroy the brute that is killing his cattle. Moreover, a
leopard skin is now worth a good deal more than the
reward. A good skin which might have been purchased
at an outstation a few years ago for a couple of rupees is
now worth from ten to fifteen rupees. The meat is
sometimes cut into strips and dried and is eaten medicinally.

Cubs may not infrequently be bought in jungle districts
for from R5 to RIO each. They make pretty pets till they
are a few months old, after which they must be chained up
or the ferocious little brutes will kill all the fowls and
ducks they see, and after a time will attack sheep and

SPORT IN CEYLON.

dogs. They are quite untameable. There is an erroneous
idea that giving carnivorous beasts in captivity raw meat
will excite their blood-thirsty dispositions, but they would
probably be just as savage if fed entirely oil vegetable
food.

CHAPTER VII.

LEOPARD SHOOTING.

* • * EOPARDS are few in number considering the
^ great extent of cover, and they wander about so
much in their search for prey that no one ever
thinks of going specially after them. They are, however,
not infrequently seen by sportsmen when after other game,
being met strolling along jungle-paths, as is their peculiar
habit, or are caught sight of as they spring out of trees
where they were lying in wait for deer and pigs, or are
come on lying asleep in the sun, generally on rocks. They
always bolt under these circumstances and are so quick
in their movements that as a rule only snap shots are
obtained.

Driving them by beaters out of the forest towards spots
where sportsmen have posted themselves with their rifles
has been tried but generally unsuccessfully. It should
only be attempted when one is known to be lying up in
some isolated patch or strip of jungle such as are found in
the coast forests.

Most leopards killed are shot from ambushes when they
have come to feed on cattle and game they have killed.
On receiving news of a "kill" the first thing to be ascer-
tained is whether the leopard believed to have done the
deed is a " rogue " or not. If the former, it will be useless
to sit up for it, as it will not return to the carcase for a

48 SPORT IN CEYLON.

second meal. It may, however, return to the "kill" two
or three days af'er the first meal being driven to do so
by failure to catch any other animal meanwhile.

In fixing on the site for the ambush it is not absolutely
necessary to consider the direction of the wind as the
eopard, in consequence no doubt of defective power of
smell, will come up the wind towards the spot without
hesitation. It is more important that the ambush should
be well hidden. If a tree stands conveniently near the
"kill " it is best to have a platform or perch of poles and
sticks built in it. It should be not less than six or eight
feet from the ground, both to escape detection as a leopard
rarely looks upward unless its attention be directed there,
and because it is safer as a crippled brute unable to
get away sometimes makes furious efforts to get at its
assailants. The platform should be well screened with twigs
not only in front but behind, as the leopard may come
from any direction, sometimes from the rear, passing
directly under the ambush to the " kill." A hole, a few
inches square should be left to look and fire through. Men
have sometimes used native cots from the village in the
construction of ambushes but have generally repented it,
finding them to be full of bugs.

It is dangerous to fire from an ambush on the ground or
in a hole. Native hunters have lost their lives through firing
at leopards standing on a level with them and facing them.
On receiving the shot the brute is likely to bound forward
in its surprise and terror and if it lands near the crouching
man is certain to attack him furiously, perhaps inflicting
fatal inquiries before falling dead a few moments later.

As little noise as possible should be made in cutting
the poles and sticks for the construction of the ambush as
the leopard, if gorged, is probably lying in the jungle not
far off, twitching its round ears and blinking its fierce
eyes .as it listens to the preparations being made for its

SPORT IN CEYLON. 49

destruction. It is in fact better to bring all the materials
for the platform from some distance. There is no harm
in talking and laughing in ordinary tones, but low voices
and stealthy movements are likely to excite the brute's
suspicions. When all is ready, the men who have been
assisting in making the ambush and who are not going to
sit up should be directed to go off to camp talking loudly
or singing, which will give the leopard, if in the vicinity,
the idea that the coast is clear and it will soon put in an
appearance.

If the "kill" is lying in dense scrub or in any otheri
inconvenient position it may safely be dragged out into
some more open spot. The leopard will suspect nothing,
thinking probably that it had been dragged away by some
other wild beast. Some natives imagine that if any animal
killed falls on its left side the brute which caught it will
only eat of it once, but the idea has no foundation in fact.

The time when a leopard may be expected to return to
the "kill," depends very much on when it caught its victim.
If this happened during the night the probability is that
the brute will be ready for another meal early next
afternoon and that it will make its appearance a short time
before sun set. The first indication of its approach may
possibly be the excited barking of monkeys in the vicinity.
Should jackals be tearing the carcase and they suddenly
lift their heads, make a whining cry and then bolt, it is
pretty certain that the brute is close at hand. On arriving
at the edge of the open spot where the "kill" is lying a
leopard usually stops and looks round. If its suspicions
are in any way roused it may sit up on its hind quarters
to get a better view. Sometimes, instead of going straight
to the carcase, it will slink round through the jungle and
approach it from the other side. Its movements are so
silent that often the hunter watching for it has no idea
that it is near till he sees the great spotted, long-tailed cat
step daintily out of the jungle.

7

50 SPORT IN CEYLON.

Most men, on catching sight of the brute, are in such a
hurry to shoot as to imperil their chances of killing it. If
instead of going up to the "kill" it stops and steadfastly
gazes in the direction of the ambush no time should be lost
.in firing, but if it goes straight to the carcase there is
plenty of time and it should not be fired at till it stands
still, broadside on, and offers a perfectly certain shot.
Another reason for waiting is that there may be two of
them afoot, one following the other a few moments later.

On approaching the " kill" and after sniffing it, leopards
often purr with pleasure ; they also sometimes frisk about
and roll on the carcase in their satisfaction at the pros-
pect of a gorge.

They are exceedingly tenacious of life, and even though
mortally wounded often manage to get away. If their
backs or limbs are broken and they are unable to move
from the spot they will lie clawing the ground furiously,
snapping their jaws and uttering loud fierce growls.

It is very dangerous to follow wounded leopards through
dense forest. Native hunters have sometimes found to their
cost that the brutes, though crippled or shot through the
lungs, had sufficient vitality and strength left to tear the
life out of their pursuers.

Attempts to shoot leopards over live baits are almost
always failures. They are such wandering creatures that
the chance of one being in the neighbourhood and being
attracted to the bait is very small. It is only worth
trying when one has got into the habit of going, night
after night, to some village after calves and goats.
It is, in such case, probably a female with young cubs
and consequently not able to range far for food. The best
bait is a kid on account of its loud and continual bleating,
but they cannot easily be got, goats being rare in jungle
villages. Calves are also difficult to obtain as natives will
not sell them. Tying up pariah dogs is of little use.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 51

A cur that in the village would "make night hideous"
with its barks and howls will, on being tied up in the
jungle, instantly realize its danger and become as mute
as a fish.

Leopards are sometimes caught by natives in cage-traps
made of strong jungle- sticks and baited, also by means of
a noose of hide rope attached to a powerful spring made of
a pliant young stapling which lifts the caught animal
bodily into the air. They are also killed in dead-fall traps
made of strong wooden frames heavily weighted with
stones. Europeans stationed in wild districts have had
large steel spring-traps made and used them with success
in catching these animals. Spring guns are sometimes
set for their destruction but, as they are illegal and
dangerous to human beings and also unsportsmanlike, it is
unnecessary to explain how they may most effectively be set.
Poisoning the carcase of an animal killed is only excusable
in the case of a " rogue " leopard which will not return to
"kills" and cannot be otherwise disposed of.

When a leopard has been shot the skull should always be
kept and the skin taken off in such a way that the head
may be stuffed which will greatly add to the appearance of
the handsome rug into which the skin may be made. The
claws are often set in gold as brooches. Care should
be taken to prevent natives cutting off the whiskers which
are valued by them ; some believing them to be deadly
poison if chopped up fine and administered in food, and
others that they have much virtue in the preparation
of charms.

CHAPTER VIII.

BEARS.

mHE Ceylon Bear, Melursus ursinus, is called by the
Sinhalese, walaha and by the Tamils, karadi. These
uncouth, savage creatures infest all the forests of
the low-country but are not found in the wet forests
of the interior at a greater elevation than about 1,500
feet. They are most numerous in the driest parts of
the Island and prefer high forest interspersed with rocks.
Their foot-prints, like those of club-footed men, may be
seen in the sandy beds of every river and stream in the
low-country in the dry season. In monsoon weather they
resort to caves and large hollow trees.

The males generally wander about by themselves and
the females with their cubs, but they sometimes go about
in pairs. Occasionally a whimpering she-bear, followed by
several ardent males, all in excessively bad humour, may
be met with, a party it is as well to avoid. Bears do
not range far but generally keep to the tract of forest
in which they were born. Should one intrude on a
neighbour's domains there are sure to be "ructions," for
the creatures are great fighters. Many old bears have
lost an eye or an ear or have scars to shew, the result
of these encounters.

Owing to their shaggy, black hair they look larger than
they really are. When facing men they seem broad and

SPORT IN CEYLON. 53

strongly built, but when stalking across the path in front
of them their comparatively slender bodies and long legs
are apparent. Their hind quarters droop and appear to be
their weakest part, while their fore-legs are extremely
muscular and armed with formidable, curved 3-inch claws
which are capable of independent motion like fingers.
The males are of course larger thivj. the females. Old
he-bears will stand about 33 inches at the shoulder, and
when fat may weigh from 15 to 20 stone. They have
peculiarly-shaped heads with long grey mobile snouts,
their very loose lips being capable of protrusion. The
hair round the head is bushy and often of a brownish
tint, they have a white "horse-shoe mark" on the breast
and white patches behind the ears, have a strong musky
odour and are generally covered from head to foot with
ticks.

The sight of bears is poor, nor is their sense of hearing
particularly acute, but these deficiencies are more than
compensated for by their remarkably keen sense of smell.
They walk flat-footed with the toes of the fore-feet turned
out, which gives them a peculiar comical gait. They
often sit up on their hams. Usually they wander about
slowly, nosing as they go, but if alarmed shuffle off at a
great pace. If hard pressed they can gallop faster than
a man can run. They are most agile climbers and con-
stantly scramble up trees, often to a considerable height,
in search of honey-combs, always descending backwards.
They are also powerful diggers, their strong, blunt, non-
retractile claws being well adapted for the purpose. Ordi-
narily they are very silent, only grunting from time to time
as they shuffle about looking for food. If alarmed they
growl menacingly, and if angered give loud coughing barks.
When fired at unexpectedly .they will utter roars of con-
sternation, and if badly wounded give vent to most human-
like wails. They have a peculiar habit of sucking their
paws when lying down, making a humming noise at the
same time.

54 SPORT IN CEYLON.

Bears may be said to be omnivorous, and they are not at
all particular what they eat, Though usually vegetarians
they are not above making a meal off any carrion they
come across, if hungry. Roots and fruits of forest trees
and honey are their chief food. They are very fond
of ant-bread, and it is astonishing what holes they will dig
in the stone-hard white-ant hills in search of this
delicacy. Their strong inhalations as they suck the ants
and larvae out of holes and under rotten timber may
he heard at a great distance. They are usually very
lean, but in the hot weather, when many of the forest
trees drop their fruit, they get extremely fat. The
natives say that they sometimes so gorge themselves with
the sweet pods of the " ehala" tree which have pvirgative
properties, that they have been found lying in the forest
scarcely able to move from the effects.

Though they are most numerous in the driest parts
of the country, bears do not appear to be able to support
thirst as well as other animals. They usually drink at
rock-holes in the depths of the forest, but when these and
the tanks and pools are dry, they go to the rivers and
dig for water in their sandy beds, often making huge pits.

She-bears have generally two cubs at a birth but
sometimes only one, the period of gestation being about
seven months. The cubs are blind for about three weeks
after birth. The maternal instinct is very strong in bears.
They do not leave their young in caves or hollowT-trees
as most wild animals do. For a few weeks after birth
the mother carries her cubs about on her back when
looking for food, the little creatures holding on with their
feet and claws to the thick fur on their mother's neck.
When suddenly alarmed, while a cub is running about, its
mother will sometimes catch it up in her mouth and bolt.
The cubs stay with their mother till nearly full-grown.

Next to elephants natives dread bears more than any
other wild beast owing to their bold and savage dis-

SPORT IN CEYLON. 55

position. By far the greater number of deaths and
mutilations suffered by jungle villagers have been from
attacks of these brutes, met with suddenly in the dark
or at close quarters on forest paths. They do not, as
is generally supposed, rise on their hind legs to attack, but
rush at their victims, and on their falling, throw them-
selves on them and holding them down with their fore-feet
bite savagely, continuing to do so even after they have
ceased to struggle. They have a terrible habit of clawing
the faces of people who have fallen under their attacks.
Men who have had their cheeks torn away and their eyes
raked out by the claws of these creatures are to be seen in
every jungle district. Natives say that they also always
bite their victims in the private parts, and there is no
doubt that there have been cases of such mutilation. An
attacking bear if struck heavily on the snout is likely to
bolt. Small rewards are paid by Government for their
destruction, but they are seldom shot by natives, and it is
probable that their number is increasing.

They are usually shot by Europeans by moonlight when
coming to drink. Some account of this form of sport will
be found elsewhere. They are not very often seen in the
daytime, but any sportsman going quietly along old
timber-roads or game-tracks in a wild district, in the early
morning or late in the afternoon, is likely enough to meet
one. On catching sight of him the brute will usually face
him silently with its long snout stuck out enquiringly and
its wicked little eyes squinting. A ball in the centre of
the "horse-shoe mark" on its breast will drop it dead.
If only wounded it will utter a roar of surprise and anger
and then bolt. It will generally not attack unless so
near its assailant that it thinks it cannot escape. Bears as
a rule are easily killed, not having apparently the tenacity
of life most savage creatures have.

In the isolated rocky hills which are to be found scat-
tered about the low-country, caves may often be found,

56 SPORT IN CEYLON.

which are permanently occupied by families of bears.
They are not to be found in ordinary rock-cavities, the whole
extent of which may be seen from outside, but only in caves
which have deep holes or pockets at the back into which
the brutes can crawl and lie snug, invisible in the darkness.
It is first-class sport routing them out of caves such as
these. The floor of the outer cavern is generally thickly
strewn with fine dust and it is easy to toll from the foot
prints whether the family is at home. As a rule on hearing
voices outside, the bears will lie close and give no indica-
tion that they are crouching there listening. Crackers are
generally required to drive them out. Most bear caves
have two or more entrances and the crackers should be
thrown only into one, leaving the other open for the bears
to bolt out of. Before throwing them in, however, two of
the party should be directed to go away talking at the top
of their voices so as to deceive the bears into thinking that
the men who had disturbed them had gone away. Half-
an-hour should be allowed to lapse in perfect silence and
then, the sportsman having posted himself in a safe
position commanding the mouth of the cave, the crackers
should be lit without noise and thrown suddenly in.
The uproar which always follows is usually found by
tyros rather trying to the nerves, as all the bears within
"woof -woof !" fiercely, and come scrambling out in their
consternation, giving as a rule easy shots. Sometimes,
however, if they suspect danger outside and the cave is
large, they will retreat to the back of it and make it echo
with their deep barking growls.

Smoking bears out of caves has often been tried but it is
a tedious and generally unsatisfactory method. It has
frequently ended in the animal being suffocated in the deep
recesses of the cavern where it could not be got at.
Female-bears have allowed themselves to be burnt to death
rather than bolt out and leave their cubs to their fate. If
there is only one narrow entrance to the bear-cave it is
obviously senseless cruelty to build a big fire at the mouth.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 57

Another method of shooting bears which are known to
live in particular caves is to lie in wait for them as they
return from their night rambles. They may be expected
to turn up soon after daylight, and as they come along,
swinging their bodies and rolling their heads, unconscious
of danger, they may be shot without trouble.

There is no record of any attempt ever having been made
in Ceylon to hunt bears with dogs, but it would probably
be most excellent sport. Two or three strong, plucky bull-
terriers, which would seize by the nose, throat and ears,
would probably hold any bear and give the sportsman an
opportunity to knife or spear it. The dogs are not likely
to be much injured by its blunt claws.

The fur or rather hair of a bear is generally so coarse
and thin that the mangy-looking skin is scarcely worth
taking. Occasionally, fat young bears with thick glossy
hides are shot. The claws may be set in brooches but
are scarcely worth it. Natives attach no particular value
or virtue to bear's fat or grease and do not extract it.
They, however, always cut out the gall-bladder, for which
native doctors will give two or three rupees. The male ,|
bear, like many of the carnivora, has a bone in the penis >
which is sometimes cut out by sportsmen and kept as a
curiosity.

Bear-cubs have often been kept as pets. While young
they are amusing little creatures but soon become savage,
surly brutes which must be chained up or shot. They
apparently cannot be tamed like the bears of temperate
climes.

CHAPTER IX.

WILD BUFFALOES.

buffaloes are not numerous and are only
found in certain localities which suit their
habits. Abundance of water to wallow in is
absolutely essential to these ungainly creatures, and they
are consequently only found where secluded tanks and
river-pools exist in the depths of the forest. They are not
found in the hills or in the south-western parts of the Island.
The Sinhalese name is " wal miharak" and the Tamil
" kulii madu." A solitary bull is called in the former
language "wal miwa" and in the latter "kulu kida."

The herds are generally small, rarely exceeding a score in
number, and consist of cows and calves ; among which are
often animals which are only half wild, being once tame
beasts which have taken to the bush. The full-grown
bulls are seldom with the herd but wander about by
themselves and are a source of trouble and loss to the
villagers as they often enter the village herds and fight
with, and sometimes kill the tame bulls and carry off the
cows. In districts where wild buffaloes are found in any
number the villagers will not attempt to keep tame ones.

There is nothing in their appearance to distinguish wild
from village buffaloes, they being ordinarily no bigger and
having the same ungainly build, and hairless, slate-coloured
hides. They may perhaps be said to have more grey about
them. As with domesticated animals the males are larger

SPORT IN CEYLON. 59

than the females, and the bulls have massive curving horns,
while the cows having usually longer, thinner and straighter
ones. Solitary bulls sometimes grow to a great size, fifteen
hands at the shoulder being about the extreme limit in
Ceylon though they have been shot a good deal bigger in
India. Their peculiarly high withers makes measurement
at the shoulder give results out of proportion to the real
bulk of the animal. In their behaviour wild buffaloes are
very different from tame ones, being comparatively agile
and alert. If they see or smell a human being they will be
off at once, their actions shewing unmistakeably that they
are forest-creatures.

Their habits are very similar to those of ordinary village
buffaloes ; they spend much of their time in the water and
graze at night or in the cool of the morning and evening.

Herds of wild buffaloes are easily found as the villagers
generally know where their favourite wallowing-places are,
and at what time they are accustomed to resort to them.
As, however, no sportsman wants to shoot cows, the only
advantage he derives from this is that he may chance to
find with the herd some big bull which had temporarily
joined it. If found grazing in the forest or wallowing in
some pool the herd may easily be approached up-wind. If
there is in it a cow with a very young calf she may
give trouble, but, as a rule, on realizing that danger is near
the whole herd will bolt headlong.

If come upon in the open, wild buffaloes will generally
form in line and stand staring in the direction of the in-
truder with their noses stuck out and their horns laid flat
on their necks. Suddenly one of them will give a snort
and a stamp, and at the signal they will turn and gallop
off heavily with their tails stiff out behind. Sometimes
they will charge down on the sportsman in a body, but this
is only when they are uncertain what danger is threaten-
ing them, and perhaps suspect it to be a sneaking leopard

60 SPORT IN CEYLON.

after their calves. A shout and waving the arms wil
generally turn them, but if that does not suffice, a shot
the air is almost certain to send them flying.

It is almost as difficult to approach an old solitary bul
in the open as to stalk deer. Before firing at one it is as
well tq have the positive assurance of some native of the
place that it is wild. Not a few inexperienced sportsmen
have had to face claims from indignant villagers to be
paid the value of murdered domestic buffaloes. It is not
altogether safe to act on the well-known paradoxical rule,
" If the buffalo bolts it is a wild one, if it charges it is
tame one ! " as a bull which gallops off on sight of the
sportsman may be really only a half -wild one.

When buffaloes charge, meaning mischief, they do so in
a blind, headlong fashion with their heads down and one
horn advanced, offering a very difficult shot. They are
very tough brutes and will sometimes take half-a-dozen
shots before falling, though, of course, one well-directed
shot will cause instant death. When badly wounded they
generally lie down, but if approached will make a dying
effort to charge or get away.

Wild buffaloes are "game" under the Ordinance and
are even more stringently protected than deer. There is
no close season for them. They are seldom caught by the
natives as they scarcely repay the trouble of trapping and
training them.

The horns of Ceylon wild buffaloes are not to be com-
pared with those obtainable in Central India, Burmah, and
Assam. Horns measuring over six feet along outside
curve across frontal bone are of quite exceptional size here,
but would be thought little of in India.

The meat of wild buffaloes is not of course eaten by
Europeans, but the tongue is sometimes cut out and salted.

CHAPTER X.

SAMBHUR,

EKE Sambhur, cervus unicolor, which is the largest
species of deer found in the Island, is almost uni-
versally called the " elk," the name given to it by
the English officers who conquered and administered the
country in the early part of the century. This misnomer
will never die out until newspapers make a practice of
calling the animal the sambhur, by which name it is known
all through India. No sportsman should ever speak of it
as the "elk." Its Sinhalese name is " gona " and its
Tamil name ' * murrai . ' '

Sambhur inhabit all the forests of the Island, from the
tops of the highest hills to the coast. They are commonly
found in high, open forest and are rarely seen in scrub
jungle or in open plains. They are fond of the low-lying,
damp jungle surrounding tanks and also frequent rocky
hills where they lie during the day in the cool shade of
overhanging rocks.

They are never seen in herds though sometimes three or
four may be come upon feeding together, consisting of stag
and hind and half -grown young ones, but they generally go
about in pairs. When a hind has young fawns the stag
leaves her and wanders about alone.

They grow to a larger size in the low-country than in the
hills and vhe stags have finer antlers. A full-grown stag

62 SPORT IN CEYLON.

will stand from 12 to 11 hands at the shoulder, and an iiich
or two higher at the haunch, and will weigh from 40 to 50
stone. They are covered with coarse, stiff brown hair which
is thick and long on the necks of the stags and bristles up
like a mane when the animal is excited or alarmed. The
antlers of the stag attain their complete form about the
fourth year and after that go on increasing in size annually
for several years. The earlier horns are probably shed annu-
ally, but later in life they are apparently retained for longer-
periods, for two years or even more. They are commonly
supposed to be shed about April, but it is doubtful whether
there is any particular season when this happens. In four
or five months new antlers will have grown and the stags
will then begin to look for mates. While their horns are
"in velvet" they are very wary, keeping to the densest
parts of the forest, it being painful to them to strike their
tender sprouting horns against the underwood while moving
about.

Being very shy creatures they are less seldom seen in the
day time than cheetul and other deer, unless come upon
lying down in the dark forest. Just after the rains, how-
ever, they are more often seen as they are driven out of the
forest by the stinging flies and musquitoes which infest it.

Being probably the most hunted of all forest creatures
their senses have become very highly developed. They
have remarkable powers of smell, their large ears, from 7 to
8 inches long, enable them to hear sounds a long way off,
and their eyesight is good.

When undisturbed they wander about browsing, slowly
and silently, but when alarmed will bound away heavily and
noisily. They are extremely sure-footed, and can swim well
when forced to take to the water. When the tanks and
pools are dry they are accustomed to dig for water with
their fore feet in the sandy beds of rivers. The only .sound
they make is a loud brassy bellow which can be heard to a

SPORT IN CEYLON. 68

great distance, and might easily be mistaken by any one
hearing it for the first time for the roar of some ferocious
wild beast.

They have some habits which other species of deer have
not. They are fond of wallowing in mud-holes in the forest,
thus caking themselves with clay from head to foot, pro-
bably as a protection from the ticks and flies which worry
them. They are accustomed to wander long distances
along forest paths, a habit they share with their arch-
enemies the leopards. They also nearly always return
along the path by which they had gone to drink, instead
of wandering on as most animals do.

It is doubtful whether there is any particular breeding
season. The rutting- time is supposed to be about October
and November, because the bellowing of the stags may be
heard more frequently then than at other times. They
fight a good deal while in a state of sexual excitement,
using their brow-antlers chiefly in their combats. The
hinds gestate about eight months and hardly ever have
more than one fawn at a time.

Sambhur are a great nuisance where chenas and planta-
tions have been made in the forest, as, being powerful and
agile, they easily break down or jump over fences and will
do great damage in one night.

They are the principal object of the native hunters night-
shooting. The meat of a full-grown one, fresh or dried, is
worth a considerable sum, from R5 to B25 according to
whether it is shot in the vicinity of a town or not. Its horns
and hide are of comparatively little value, the former, in
the low-country, being worth only about 37 cents per Ib.
and the latter from 25 to 50 cents for the whole skin.

Their only forest enemy is the leopard, a very formidable
one. There is little doubt that more sambhur than cheetul
are killed by leopards, probably because they keep to

64 SPORT IN CEYLON.

the deep forest where they are easily stalked, while other
animals frequenting the glades and open places have a
better chance of escaping the enemy.

The fawns are often kept as pets but they are not very
pretty, and if stags, will become dangerous when they grow
up and get antlers.

Sambhur may not be fired at without a game license nor
during the close season. No sportsman will, of course, care
to shoot them in native fashion when coining to drink on
moonlight nights, or will fire at hinds or at young stags
without antlers. To find sambhur the best way is to stroll
quietly along old timber-roads and game-tracks in high
forest. It is of little use to attempt to walk without making
a noise, as for the greater part of the year the jungle is so
thickly strewn with dry fallen leaves and twigs that every
step, however cautiously taken, is audible to a considerable
distance in the still forest. It is better to imitate, to the
best of one's ability, the movements of a sambhur, which,
in common with other deer, also buffaloes and pigs, steps
heavily with its fore feet and drags its hind feet. This may
enable a sportsman to ge^ nearer his game than he other-
wise would, provided of course, that he is going up- wind.

In the heat of the day they will generally be come upon
lying down. If a stag hears any suspicious sound it will
stamp with its fore feet and then uttering a harsh short
bellow, bolt crashing through the underwood. When
brought to bay its size, sharp antlers and bristling mane
give it rather a formidable appearance. If approached then
it may charge head down and inflict fatal wounds with its
sharp horns or may rise on its hind legs and strike at the
hunter with its fore feet. It is said that a young European,
who was trying to " stick " a sambhur at bay, holding his
knife in front of him, blade downwards instead of upwards,
was killed by the weapon being thrust into his own breast
by a kick from the fore feet of the beast.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 65

If any rocky hills are in the neighbourhood of the camp,
the sportsman would do well to visit them and clamber
quietly about looking for sambhur, paying due attention
to the direction of the wind. They may often be found
lying in cool damp recesses under overhanging rocks.
Bears and leopards may also be met with in such places ;
in fact most wild animals appear to have a liking for forest
much cut up into ravines and water-courses and strewn
with rocks and boulders.

Sambhur are not easily killed and will gallop off with a
wound which would stretch almost any other animal on
the ground. Scores of them must every year die lingering
deaths, which have been fired at by natives at waterholes,
but which have got away in spite of their wounds. Many
of the stricken creatures also, 110 doubt, fall an easy prey
to leopards.

Sambhur horns are small for the size of the animal. The
longest pair, of which there is record, were those of a stag
killed in India, which measured 48 inches, but were rather
thin. Antlers reaching 36 inches are seldom seen in Ceylon,
in fact any over 30 inches may be considered exceptionally
good. They have seldom more than six points.

The meat is very poor, being dry and tasteless, but the leg
bones are peculiarly rich in marrow, the bones being more
hollow than those of most other animals. The hoofs are
sometimes converted into jelly,

CHAPTER XI.

CHEETUL (SPOTTED DEER).

y-v-^HE cheetul, Cervus axis, is the animal which is
universally spoken of in Ceylon as the ''spotted
deer," and is so described in the Game Ordinance.
It is, however, obviously absurd that Ceylon men should
have a name for one of the commonest of the deer-tribe
different from that by which it is known to their brother
sportsmen throughout the length and breadth of India.
It is called in Sinhalese miiwa and in Tamil piili-man or
" leopard deer." There is no doubt that it is far and away
the most beautiful animal in the Ceylon forests. Most
men, on shooting one for the first time, have felt some
remorse on seeing the golden-coated, graceful, gentle
creature lying gasping out its life on the ground.

Cheetul are not found in the hills but only in the
low-country, especially in the coast forests, where there
are grassy plains interspersed with bushes and strips of
forest to which they can retire during the day. The high
forests in the interior contain comparatively few of them,
but they are numerous in the park-country, the glades
along banks of rivers and the neighbourhood of tanks.
They are less nocturnal in their habits than sambhur.

They are gregarious and may sometimes be seen in
herds of fifty or sixty in wild parts of the country, though

SPORT IN CEYLON. 67

more often in parties of about a dozen and not infrequently
in families. They are very conservative in their habits
and never wander far from their accustomed haunts.
Unlike the males of most other large species of wild
animals the bucks remain with the herd and do not go
about feeding by themselves. They, however, keep aloof
from each other, one or two antlered ones lording it
over the others. Should two big bucks accidentally come
together within butting distance a fight follows. It is a
pretty sight to see the handsome creatures, with proudly
arched necks, bristling coats and flashing eyes approach
each other slowly with mincing steps and then suddenly
rearing, bring their long, thin sharp antlers together with
a clash and after a few minutes' scuffling, disengage and
go promenading round, apparently under the impression
that the admiring eyes of their does are upon them.
These, however, continue to graze placidly or stand licking
their fawns, paying not the least attention to their lords
" goings on."

A full-grown buck will stand from 36 to 40 inches at the
shoulder, will weigh about 18 stone, and has usually
remarkably graceful, slender antlers. Mai-formed horns,
are, however, not uncommon, both among these deer
and sambhur, the results generally of accidents while
growing. Cheetul are said to shed their antlers about the
beginning of the hot weather, but it is improbable that
there is any particular season. It is in fact doubtful
whether they shed their horns regularly every year, more
especially after they have passed middle age. When their
new horns are nearly grown they rub them against trees
to scale off the dry skin which adheres to them. For this
"burnishing" they seem to choose particular trees from
the bark of which resin exudes. Most "shed" horns are
picked up by natives in the open plains, the long grass of
which they burn off in order to facilitate the search, a
highly objectionable proceeding for which they can be
punished if caught.

68 SPORT IN CEYLON.

Albinos almost white in colour are sometimes seen.
Robert Knox, in his charming old book, gives an account of
the capture of one for the King of Kandy, which was
accomplished by the surrounding of the herd, of which it
was a member, by a large body of men.

Cheetul are not easily approached, having all their senses
highly developed and being always on the alert. When
stampeded their movements as they bound away are
extremely graceful, but if they merely suspect that danger
is near they will slink off head down at a trot. They can
swim well, but only take to the water when hard pressed.
Bucks hunted by dogs in the coast forests have been
known to plunge into the sea and swim out to rocks some
distance from shore. They do not appear bo be able to dig
for water as sambhur do.

The "belling" of bucks is a peculiar moaning sort of
bellow generally to be heard at night. When frightened
cheetul utter short, sharp barking sounds which are more
suggestive of fear than any other wild animal cry.

The does carry their young for about six months. The
fawns are about the prettiest little creatures in the world
and make the most affectionate pets, following their
owners about like dogs. Many are killed every year by
pythons which lie in wait in the grass at narrow places in
the glades. The mothers try to rescue their young and to
kill the snakes by stamping on them with their sharp-
hoofed forefeet, but it is to be feared, very seldom succeed,

Cheetul may not, of course, be fired at without a game
license, nor during the close season. The best weapon for
shooting them is perhaps a good double -450 express, but,
if they are very wild and the country is open, an accurately
sighted, single, small-bore rifle will be required for long
shots. When met with in the forest they can be killed
with buck-shot, but it is an unsportsmanlike and cruel
method. They are, with the exception of wild pigs, about

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SPORT IN CEYLON. 69

the only animals which, owing to their frequenting grassy
plains and open places in the forest in the day-time, can
be stalked and shot at long range. They will not, as a
rule, be found out in the open after about eight o'clock in
the morning or before five o'clock in the evening. After a
rainy night, however, they will often stay out, almost all
day, if the sky be cloudy, as they greatly dislike the drip
from the sodden forest trees on their coats. They may
sometimes be found in newly-burnt chenas or where there
have been grass fires, having gone there to lick the ashes.

To shoot them it is best to be about very early and to
prowl quietly up- wind round the edges of plains, tanks, old
fields and other open places, taking care to keep behind the
bushes as much as possible. A small pair of glasses will be
found useful to take a look round on emerging onto open
country. Cheetul, when standing still, are not to be easily
distinguished from the back-ground of forest, and unless
precautions are taken, will detect a moving figure at a great
distance and be off. They are not easily stalked, and many
a man, after a laborious crawl on hands and knees, has
raised his head cautiously on Hearing the herd only to find
that they have vanished like shadows.

On coming unexpectedly on a herd of deer out of range,
and seeing them all raise their heads quickly, the sports-
man should instantly become as rigid as a rock and not stir
hand or foot. Unless they have been much hunted and are
very wild the deer will stare fixedly at him, and after a time,
seeing no further movement in the object which had
alarmed them, will often resume browsing. If the sports-
'man then lowers himself by imperceptible degrees he may
succeed in getting to cover without stampeding the herd
and in getting a shot shortly afterwards. Most sports-
men have noticed how instantaneously an object moving in
the distance disappears from view on ceasing to move. This
is best seen in the case of birds on the wing. A flock of

70 SPORT IN CEYLON.

small birds may be seen flying a long way off ; any single
member of what would be invisible to ordinary eyesight
if perched on a fence a couple of hundred yards off.

On getting within range of a herd undetected the sports-
man will, of course, wait a minute or two to pick out the
best buck and to steady himself for the shot. When his
victim falls to the shot there is generally time enough to
empty the left-hand barrel at another buck if in full view,
as the startled herd will not bolt for a few seconds, but
stand staring at their fallen comrade. Men who pride
themselves on being good sportsmen will not of course fire
at does or at young bucks without antlers.

They are fairly easily killed, but if only a leg be broken, a
buck will, as likely as not, get away. It is wonderful how
far and fast one will go on three legs.

Europeans have sometimes tried the native method of
shooting deer by moonlight with the assistance of a trained
buffalo. Such animals, tame enough to allow Europeans
to walk beside them, are very rare. As a novelty it is
worth trying if one has the chance, but, owing to the uncer-
tain light, far more deer are likely to be wounded and lost
than bagged.

The average length of full-grown cheetul horns is about
25 inches. Antlers over 30 inches may be considered to be
unusually good ones. The longest pair recorded was 38
inches.

The meat is better than that of sambhur, but is usually
dry and tough, but gets tender if kept. When a buck's
horns are " in velvet " it is generally very fat and the meat
ib then excellent.

CHAPTER XII.

MUNTJAK (RED DEER).

IN the definition of "game" given in Section 3 of the
Game Ordinance, " red deer " and " barking deer "
are referred to as if they were two different animals,
but as a matter of fact they are both names of the small
deer which is known throughout India as the muntjak.
It is also called the " rib-faced deer" and has other names,
but it is obvious that it should always be spoken of by the
name given to it by all Indian sportsmen. Its scientific
name is cervulus muntjac ; its Sinhalese name is weli-rnuwa
or oliiwa, and its Tamil name pulataman.

Muntjak cannot be shot without a license or in the close
season. They are found almost everywhere in the forests
except in the highest hills, and always near water. High
forest liable to floods, also swamps near tanks and along
rivers are their favorite haunts, and they hardly ever ven-
ture into open places. They are not gregarious, and though
sometimes seen in pairs, the bucks generally wander about
by themselves. The does, when they have young, lie very
close in the darkest thickets and the fawns are seldom seen.

They are one of the smallest species of deer and have long
bodies with legs disproportionately short. A well-grown
buck may stand 30 inches at the shoulder and weigh 50 Ibs.,
but the average is something less. They are of a reddish
brown colour with bellies and thighs white ; those found

72 SPORT IN CEYLON.

on the hills being of a deeper shade of red than the low-
country variety. The hair is smooth and glossy. The bucks
have short horns, about 5 or 6 inches long, on a hair-covered
pedicel, with hooked tips and a small tine near the base.
It is doubtful whether they are ever shed. The males have
also long projections or ribs on the face and large canine
teeth in the upper jaw, projecting about 1£ inches from the
gums, with which they can inflict severe wounds on dogs
attacking them. They all have unusually long tongues
with which they can lick their whole faces.

Though very shy creatures they often stand and stare
stupidly at men who come on them suddenly, affording
easy shots. They run in a peculiar way with the head held
very low, and make a clicking sound as they go. It has
never been satisfactorily ascertained how this sound is pro-
duced.

They have very loud voices for such small animals, and
when excited, often "bark" for an hour at a time. They
may be easily killed with a charge of large shot. The
venison is very good, much superior to sambhur and cheetul
meat.

CHAPTER XIII.

WILD PIGS.

>ILD pigs, which are called wal-ooru by Sinhalese
and ktttu-pandi by Tamils, are not considered
"game," and are not protected in any way
by the Game Ordinance. Nevertheless, of all the larger
wild animals they are much the most numerous. They are
to be found both in the hills and in the low-country, and
are very common in the neighbourhood of the few jungle
villages in the eastern and western parts of the Island,
which are inhabited by Moormen, who will not touch these
unclean animals. There are favourite haunts in the low-
country to which the expressive phrase that they ' ' stink of
pigs" might almost literally be applied. Numbers are
shot, taken in dead-fall traps and killed by leopards every
year, nevertheless, there is little danger of their ever
becoming scarce.

Though found everywhere wild pigs avoid the high, dry
tracts of forest in which for the greater part of the year
water is scarce, also dense thorny scrub and the sandy
forests along the coast. They love swamps and the
neighbourhood of rivers and tanks where there is plenty
of soft soil for them to grub up in search of roots and
larvae, also mud to wallow in.

Herds of all sizes are to be met with, from families of
half-a-dozen to droves of fifty or more. These consist

10

74 SPORT IN CEYLON.

almost entirely of sows and young pigs of both sexes, as
the boars, as soon as they arrive at full growth, wander off
by themselves, only joining the herd occasionally. Natives
say that solitary barren sows are not uncommon.

In size wild swine are smaller than the ordinary domestic
pig, and are of course, much thinner and leggier. The
boars are much larger than the sows, and formidable brutes
standing 40 inches at the shoulder and weighing over
20 stone, with thick mane-like bristles on the neck and
sharp curving white tusks may sometimes be seen.
Ordinary boars are about 30 to 34 inches high and weigh
about 15 stone in good condition. All wild pigs have a
musky odour which is especially strong in the old boars.

Though so much hunted by both men and leopards, they
shew less timidity and are more often seen out in the open
than other wild animals. If their suspicions are roused
and they are uncertain what danger threatens them, the
sows, though almost defenceless creatures, will sometimes
advance grunting as if about to attack the enemy. They
are very clannish in disposition. Should a pig squeal from
fear or pain the other members of the herd will run to it
at once to ascertain the cause of the trouble.

All their senses are fairly good and they are as much on
the alert as other wild animals, but, from their habit of
lying in hollows or hidden in the sedge along tank margins
and in other positions from which they have no view,
they are, as a rule, easily approached. They walk only
on the two large middle toes which are provided with
strong hoofs ; the upper back toes do not touch the ground
except in very swampy soil. When bolting they can
gallop at a great pace, as many a man has found who has
tried to cut off from the jungle one which he has surprised
wallowing in a mud-hole in the open. Their power of
turning up the soil with their hard snouts is very remark-
able. One of the commonest of jungle-sights is the soft
margin of a tank dug up by them as systematically and
completely as if done with a hoe.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 75

They are rather more noisy than most animals. A
"sounder" of them while grubbing will keep up a con-
tinual low grunting which sometimes betrays their pre-
sence, and the little pigs often fight, running at each open-
mouthed and squealing loudly. The shrill screams of a
wounded pig are ear-piercing.

Wild pigs are omnivorous, Their food consists generally
of fallen forest fruits, roots and grubs. They will, however,
devour the remains of any animal they may find dead, and
do not object to the flavour though the carcase be a week
old. Generally they are lean and tough-fleshed, but, about
the middle of the year when the forest trees, especially the
sweet-fruited "palai," drop their fruit, they get very fat.
From twenty to thirty measures of fat have been obtained
by villagers from a single pig. They usually drink at the
forest and river pools, but in time of drought resort to the
dry rivers, in the sandy beds of which they dig for water
making deep holes. They spend a great deal of their time
wallowing in mud holes for the sake of coolness and to
escape insect pests. Old boars are fond of rubbing them-
selves against trees. The bark may often be seen deeply
scored by their tusks which they are popularly supposed to
sharpen in that way, though it is more likely that it is done
merely for amusement.

The sows begin to breed before they are two years old, and
often have two litters of four to six young each year. The
period of gestation is only about four months. When about
to give birth to a litter a sow will make a "nest" of grass
which she will reap with her mouth and lay systematically
in layers. Under this shelter she will lie hidden with her
young until they are old enough to run about. These
"nests" may often be found in open places, generally at
the edge of the forest. The little pigs are more hairy than
adults and have fulvous brown stripes along the back and
sides. They are often run down and caught by natives.
It is said that cross-breeds between wild and doniestic

76 SPORT IN CEYLON.

breeds are sometimes to be seen in the jungle villages.
Though unclean feeders they do not appear to be subject
to disease, and their sagacity and suspicious natures
generally save them from accident. A whole herd has,
however, been known to jump down into a village well in
the extremity of thirst.

Though wild boars have a great reputation for ferocity
and gameness. natives appear to have little fear of them as
they never attack human beings unprovoked, though it is
more than probable that any person approaching one
wounded but on its legs, might get very badly ripped by
its sharp tusks. Bull-dogs have been known to tackle boars
single-mouthed and to come off scatheless, but as a rule dogs
venturing to attack them have very soon to retire with
their entrails hanging out. It has been said that no
leopard will attack a full-grown boar, but it is doubtful
whether this is so.

Wild pigs are the chief enemies of the native paddy
cultivators and chena clearers. They are cunning *ence-
breakers, and during crop-time the fields and clearings have
to be vigilantly guarded against their drepredations. It is
on this account that they are not protected by law, but may
be shot anywhere and at any time. Several persons in the
Eastern Province have, of recent years, taken up as a
business the shooting of wild pigs and salting the meat
for sale at Galle and elsewhere.

Attempts have often been made to domesticate young
wild pigs, but, if boars, they always grow up so savage as
not to be safe to approach.

*' Pig-sticking " has never been attempted in Ceylon ; no
doubt on account of the density of the cover which makes
riding after these animals impossible. The shooting of
boars is consequently not considered unsportsmanlike here
as it is in India,

SPORT IN CEYLON. 77

Sows and young pigs are, of course, only shot for food
and not as "game." The only trophy a boar yields is its
skull and tusks. Any tusks measuring over eight inches
along outside curve are above the average size, but pairs
over twelve inches long are sometimes got. Two-thirds of
each tusk are embedded in the jaw, only two or three
inches protruding. The sows have small tusks and can
use them when defending themselves against dogs.

CHAPTER XIV.

CROCODILES.

aROCODILES certainly cannot be considered "game,"
but they are so numerous and so much amusement
may be obtained in shooting them or fishing for
them that some account of them and of their habits and
haunts will not be out of place here. They may be bracketed
with snakes as creatures to be destroyed by any humane
means wherever and whenever met with. Any person
killing one has the satisfaction of feeling that he has rid
the world of a noxious reptile.

The Sinhalese name for crocodiles is kimbula and the
Tamil name, muthalai. They are sometimes, but errone-
ously spoken of by Europeans as alligators. It is a moot
question whether there are two species in Ceylon, the tank
and the river crocodile, but to the unscientific eye there is
only one kind. They are not found in the hills, but are
extremely common everywhere in the low-country where
there is water. All the tanks, rivers and forest pools in the
interior swarm with them, and they are also found in the
lakes and estuaries along the coast, both in fresh and brack-
ish water. They have often been seen swimming in the sea
while making their way to fresh feeding grounds, or having
been carried out into the salt water by floods. Travellers
have frequently come on them migrating overland from
some dried-up tank to some place where experience or
instinct tells them there is likely to be water. There

SPORT IN CEYLON. 79

must be hundreds of thousands of these loathsome and
dangerous brutes in the Island. Several scores of them
may often be seen together basking in the sun on open
ground at the edge of a tank.

The largest crocodile ever killed in Ceylon is believed
to be a man-eater which was caught in the Matara district
a good many years ago and measured a little over 22 feet.
Any over 12 feet in length may be considered to be big
ones. As is well known they are of a dark, dull green
colour marked with irregular black blotches, with yellowish
white bellies, are covered with slime and have a strong
musky odour. They cannot remain uader water like fishes,
but are obliged to come to the surface every few minutes
to breathe. Their droppings, often found on the bunds of
tanks, are quite white and look like balls of lime. They
are said to shed their teeth annually.

Contrary to the old idea that crocodiles have no joints
.in ther backs and cannot turn easily, they are extremely
quick in their movements on land. When running they
raise themselves on their bandy legs and scurry along on
their webbed feet with their tails up, at a great pace,
and they can turn and dodge with an agility few animals
can equal.

During the day they lie on land basking in the sun,
sleeping with their mouths wide open, or float motionless
on the water with only the tops of their heads and the
serrated edges of their backs above the surface. When
disturbed in the water they often blow through their
nostrils before sinking, spraying the water to the height
of 18 inches, and on rising again will only protrude the
tips of ther snouts to breathe. They are only lively at
night, which is their feeding time, when they may be
heard splashing about catching fish and slapping the
water with their tails. At this time they often make a
peculiar noise not easy to describe. When caught on
dry land they generally utter a sort of growling hiss to

80 SPORT IN CEYLON.

intimidate the enemy. Many of the tank bunds in the
low-country have what may be called "croc-slides," down
which the creatures slip when taking to the water.

Crocodiles destroy numbers of deer, pigs, cattle, monkeys,
and dogs. Their method of attack is to seize by the nose
or leg animals coming to drink and to hold on like
bull-dogs. The poor creatures, in spite of their desperate
struggles, are gradually dragged into the deep water and
drowned. The carcases are then pushed into holes in the
banks under the surface and left to ripen. Crocodiles also
feed on fish, water-birds, and tortoises, in fact on any
living thing they can catch. They swarm at the bird-
breeding places in the forest, which are always in trees
overhanging the water, being attracted there by the
numbers of fledglings which fall out of their nests into
their maws. Being carrion-eaters by choice, they will
come out of the water and go considerable distances to
feed on dead buffaloes and cattle, and will readily eat the
remains of individuals of their own kind which may have '
been shot.

The female crocodile lays from eighty to one hundred
soft-shelled eggs and buries them under the sand to be
hatched by the sun. The young ones are only a few inches
long when they emerge from the shell, and are vicious
little brutes, shewing their ferocious natures from the very
commencement of their existence.

Jungle villagers shew less fear of ordinary crocodiles
than might be expected, and may sometimes be seen
bathing unconcernedly in a tank with the heads of
half-a-dozen of these brutes shewing above the surface
only a few yards from them. When a man-eater makes
its appearance, not a soul will venture into the water
which it infests. It is at all times unsafe to bathe in or
even to wade into deep water in the low-country, and no
European should go in or send a native after shot birds
unless they have fallen in a shallow spot close in shore.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 81

Every year a number of men, women, and children are
killed by crocodiles, but it is probable that these casualties
are often rather accidents than the result of deliberate
attacks, the huge reptiles causing the deaths having
mistaken their victims for animals wading or coming to
drink, or having been alarmed by being come on suddenly
among sedge and weeds. Man-eaters, which have killed
more than one person, are extremely rare. Almost all
animals, except elephants and buffaloes, are afraid of
crocodiles. It is an amusing sight to see the precautions
taken and the anxiety shewn by a thirsty pariah-dog
coming to drink at a crocodile-infested tank.

Natives have several absurd ideas about these reptiles,
that they have four eyes, .that they have^bezoars in their
heads, that their meat hasf aphrodisiac properties, and their
fat medicinal value, and that their bite produces leprosy.

Few animals are so hard to stalk as crocodiles in the
open. The difficulty of crawling within shot of one, even s .
when lying apparently asleep with widely-gaping jaws, is •
so great as to lead one to suppose that there is some truth
in the native idea of the crocodile-bird which always
hovers near it and performs the friendly offices of picking
the leeches out of its throat and of giving warning of the
approach of danger. When floating in the heat of the
day on the surface of the water they seem to "sleep with
one eye open." They may most easily be shot from
ambushes put up near the carcases of cattle which have
died near the water or from the bunds of tanks at the foot
of which a young pariah dog or puppy has been tied, whose
yelping will attract the brutes and bring them within easy
range.

It is now well known that the old idea of the impenetra-
bility of the crocodile's scaly hide is a fable, as a bullet from
even a light smooth-bore will pierce it anywhere. When
shot while basking on land crocodiles generally manage to
get to the water, unless the ball has gone through the brain

11

82 SPORT IN CEYLON.

or broken the back. If mortally wounded in the water
they usually struggle for a few minutes, raising their heads
and tails above the surface or turn on their backs exposing
their white bellies, and then sink. Wounded crocodiles
often come ashore to die during the night, probably from
fear of their fellows, but if they die in the water their putrid,
half -eaten carcases will be found floating about two days
afterwards. They are extraordinarily tenacious of life and
will continue to struggle though their brain-pans have been
emptied by an explosive bullet. Skinning a freshly-killed
crocodile is gruesome work as the operation causes the legs
and tail to move and twitch through muscular contraction
as though the creature was alive.

Fishing for crocodiles is good fun. A common mistake
is to make the hook too large. It should be made of good
round § in. steel and the bend should be about 1 J in. across.
The line should be a strong cord about fifty feet long and
as thick as a man's little finger. About four feet of that
part of it nearest the hook should be of loose strands which
the creature cannot bite through. The bait may be meat
of any kind, and not more should be put on than will cover
the hook well with the point just shewing. If the hook
and bait be made too large the crocodile will not gulp it
down but will try and tear the meat off. The baited hook
should be hung in the evening over a forked stick stuck into
the bank so as to just dip into the water and the slack
of the line neatly coiled on the bank. The end of the line
should not be made fast to anything, but a palm leaf or
piece of rotten wood or other float attached to it. If, on
visiting the spot, in the morning, the hook and line be
found gone, search should be made for the float which will
be found not far off. On the line being taken in a crocodile
will probably be found fast at the end of it. The brute
may be sulking in a hole under a tree on the banks when
there may be some trouble in getting him out. If it is a
big brute dragging it ashore will be an exciting affair.
Some one should stand ready with a rifle to shoot it as soon

SPORT IN CEYLON. 83

as seen. Care should be taken not to go near the creature,
as it is said that a blow from the tail of a big crocodile
may break a man's leg.

Instead of a hook natives successfully use a stick of hard
wood about a span long, sharpened at both ends which,
when gorged with the bait by a crocodile sticks cross-wise
in its stomach and acts like a hook. Crocodiles have often
been caught in strong steel traps set near the carcases of
dead cattle lying near the water. The brutes sometimes
get off, leaving a leg in the trap.

Dragging small tanks with nets has been attempted, but
the cunning creatures generally escaped by crawling under
the net. If it was done with a strong, properly constructed
net, heavily weighted at the bottom, excellent sport might
be looked for. A haul of lively crocodiles would be a thing
to be remembered.

The skulls of unusually big crocodiles are worth keeping ;
any over 26 inches in length may be considered above the
average. Pieces of the belly skin are sometimes used for
covering whist and other small tables. The teeth are from
2 in. to 2£ in. long and composed of extremely hard ivory
or dentine.

CHAPTER XV.

MISCELLANEOUS GAME.

IN addition to the larger game to be found in the
low-country of Ceylon there are a number of small
animals which the sportsman is likely enough to
come across. A few words concerning these would not
be out of place here.

WILD CATS.

There are three kinds of wild cats infesting the forests.
The largest of these is the creature called the " tiger cat"
or "fishing cat," fells viverrina. It is not found in the
higher hills but may be met with in any part of the
low-country. It is, however, seldom seen. The height of
a full-grown male will be about 15 inches, the length
from 40 to 50 inches, and the weight from 30 to 35 Ibs.
The body and limbs are wholly covered with black spots
on a fulvous-grey ground. It has small ears and a short
tapering ringed tail. It feeds on fish, snakes and mollusca
among other things, and is consequently mostly found in
thickets near tidal creeks, rivers and swamps.

The common "wild cat"/e/?s chaus, sometimes called
the '• lynx cat," is somewhat larger than the domestic cat.
It is not found in the hills and is not often seen even in the
low-country except in the northern parts of the Island.
It frequents bush-covered plains near jungle villages, and
is very destructive, killing numbers of hares, peafowl,

SPORT IN CEYLON. 85

partridges, and other small game. It is of a bright tawny
colour, mottled with black on the back, has large ears
tipped with black hairs, and a tail with black rings at the
end. It is very savage and untameable.

The only other wild cat is a pretty little reddish-grey
creature, a little smaller than an English domestic cat,
called the "rusty-spotted cat" or "red cat," felis rubiginosa.
It is found everywhere, even in the highest hills, but is,
nevertheless, not often seen. It is not usually found in
the forest but in open places interspersed with bushes.
It is easily tamed.

Natives do not make any distinction between these
three small felines, but call them all alike "jungle cats,"
the Sinhalese name being wal-bawa and the Tamil katu-
piinai.

PORCUPINES.

Porcupines are extremely numerous in every part of the
Island, yet are not often seen, owing to their strictly
nocturnal habits. The Sinhalese call them ittaewa, and
the Tamils mul-pandi, which means "spine pig." They
are found in all kinds of forest, generally alone, but
sometimes in pairs. They lie all day in their burrows
under rocks or in hollow trees or ant-hill holes and sally
out to feed in the night. Their chief food is roots and
fruit, and they are a curse to natives who have opened
gardens near their haunts. Very little in the way of food
comes amiss to them however. Shed deer horns even
may sometimes be picked up, of which all but the burrs
had been gnawed away by their sharp teeth.

Full-grown ones stand nine to twelve inches hi(?h and
weigh from 25 to 30 Ibs., but their quills make them look
larger than they really are. The "fretful porpentme" is
a most excitable, irritable creature, and its scientific name,
hystrivi if slightly mispronounced seems most appropriate.
They are not at all timid, and if attacked by dogs will

86 SPORT IN CEYLON.

shew fight , running at them with a sidelong motion with
all their quills up. A dog which has come into contact
with one ever afterwards shews a marked disinclination to
try conclusions with another. Natives believe that porcu-
pines shoot their quills at their assailants. They are
about the most mischievous and capricious of animals as
they will cut a fresh gap in a fence every night to get
into a plantation. They are great diggers but are not
cunning enough to make more than one entrance to their
burrows and are consequently easily unearthed. The
female brings up her young underground. They are born
with eyes open and are covered with short soft spines.
The natives believe that the mother carries water for her
young in her tail-quills.

Porcupines make amusing pets but are usually a great
nuisance. If tethered near a wall they will dig great holes
undermining it. If put into a wooden cage they will soon
escape by gnawing through the planks or bars. They will
feed with and keep on good terms with pigs in a sty. A
dead porcupine " plucked " for cooking has a strange honey-
combed appearance. The meat is excellent and resembles
pork. Boxes made of quills are sold by the hundred in
Colombo.

MOUSE DEER.

This pretty little creature, tragulus meminna, called by
Europeans the "mouse-deer," ukkulam by the Tamils,
mi-minna by the Sinhalese, is found everywhere in the
Island except on the higher hills. It frequents high forest,
loves rocky places and is never far from water. It is
generally solitary, but pairs of them are sometimes come
on. They are not "game " and may be shot at any time.

Full-grown males stand from 9 to 12 in. high, weigh from
5 to 6 Ibs. and have no horns. They have, however, sharp
little tusks or canine teeth in the upper jaw with which they
can inflict painful wounds. They are of an olive brown

SPORT IN CEYLON. 87

colour mottled with ash grey, have dark longtitudinal stripes
along the back and are white underneath. Those found on
the hills are darker in colour than low-country specimens.
They take shelter in bad weather and from enemies in
hollow trees and crevices under rocks. The does bring up
their young, generally two at a birth, in these retreats.

Sportsrhen often come across them when looking for
other game in high forest. As they bolt, tripping daintily
along on the tips of their hoofs they utter sharp little bleats.
It is not easy to get shots at them owing to the density of
the undergrowth in which they are always found. The
natives hunt them with dogs, and numbers are killed in this
way. They say that the little creatures are sometimes
caught by their feet becoming clogged with dead leaves
through which their sharp hoofs had penetrated. The meat
is eatable but is not very palatable. They are often kept
as pets, but though very pretty, are uninteresting creatures.
They have been known to breed in confinement, but as a
rule die soon after capture.

JACKALS.

No one can be long in the low-country without seeing
jackals or hearing their unearthly cries. Their scientific
name canis aureus, "golden dog" seems a trifle too gran-
diloquent for these forest-scavengers. The Sinhalese call
them narriya and the Tamils narri. No sportsman will, of
course, go out of his way to shoot one, but if a chance offers
might bowl over the beast for the sake of its pretty yellow-
grey skin.

They are found everywhere even in cultivated tracts of
country, provided there are strips of jungle near, where
they can lie up by day. They may often be seen crossing
plains and dry fields with their peculiar slinking trot,
stopping to look about every minute and breaking with a
leisurely gallop if approached and into a headlong belly-to-
ground race if fired at. Village dogs will not molest them,
only responding with howls to their hideous yells. They

88 SPORT IN CEYLON.

are generally seen in families of about half-a-dozen, but
often in pairs and sometimes alone. Large packs of them
are very seldom met with. They can swim, but will not
venture into the water unless very hard pressed, for fear
of crocodiles.

Jackals hunt hares, mouse deer and other small animals
and sometimes catch monkeys, also peafowl, jungle fowl
and other birds. The remains of all the buffaloes and cattle
which die of murrain, and of the deer and pigs killed by
leopards, are devoured by these animals, in disposing of
which offal they perform a useful office. They will dig
up the bodies of natives buried on the outskirts of jungle
villages, and the graves are consequently always protected
by bushes and thorns being piled over them.

The bitches bring up their young in hollow trees. The
pups are often found by the villagers and make amusing
pets when young. Dogs, however, will not willingly asso-
ciate with tame jackals, owing probably to the strong
disagreeable odour they have.

Jackals do not attack human beings or cattle. Mad
jackals have, however, being known to wander into villages
and bite the dogs, causing much alarm.

The natives believe that the dog-jackal has sometimes on
its head an excrescence which they call the " iiarri-kombu."
Any person possessing a "jackal-horn" will be lucky in
everything all his life. ! They believe too that jackals use
their urine as a means of defence when pursued. Their
flesh is sometimes prescribed as medicinal diet by native
doctors.

SCALY ANT-EATERS.

Sportsmen in the low-country sometimes come across the
scaly ant-eater, manis pentadactyla, probably the queerest
creature in the forest. The Sinhalese name is kabalawawa
and the Tamil ullunku.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 89

They are burrowing animals and nocturnal in their habits.
It is rather strange that these creatures should often be
found in the water and that they can swim well. Large ones
may measure 6 feet in length. They are covered with horny
plates from head to foot and have a curious habit of rolling
themselves up into a ball when alarmed. Their strength is
great and it is almost impossible for one man to force one
to unroll itself. When undisturbed they crawl about on
their bandy legs licking up ants and other insects with their
long sticky tongues. They make a sort of hissing noise if
approached.

Natives believe that they sometimes kill elephants which
molest them by coiling round their trunks. The flesh is
eaten by them medicinally.

The scaly skin, if nailed on a wooden shield and
varnished, makes rather a handsome hall ornament.

PYTHONS AND OTHER SNAKES.
Pythons are found all through the low-country but are
commonest in the bush-covered plains along the coast, in
the open glades of the forest and near rivers and tanks.
They are called in Sinhalese piinbura and in Tamil
venkanati-pambu. They are generally come on, lying
across narrow places where deer and pigs are likely to
pass, when they are not easily seen as the irregular
diamond-shaped markings on their backs correspond
almost exactly with the leaf-strewn grass in which they
lie hidden. Sportsmen have often stepped over them
when out shooting, and been startled by seeing the huge
snake move under them. Pythons may also be seen sub-
merged in jungle and river pools with only their heads
above water, lying in wait for game coming to drink.
They kill many fawns, young pigs and other animals
which they swallow whole, remaining in a comatose
condition for a number of days after the gorge. It is
said that they have been found in a torpid state with an

12

90 SPORT IN CEYLON.

entire deer, antlers and all, inside them. They are not
poisonous but any person treading on one might get a
nasty bite. These reptiles grow to a great size ; one 32 feet
long is said to have been killed, but there is no doubt they
have often been seen over 20 feet in length. A python
exceeding 12 feet may, however, be considered to be a
large one.

Natives believe that they draw their prey towards them
by sucking in their breath, but as a matter of fact pythons
seize their victims by their teeth and kill them by con-
striction. Natives believe, too, that they have hooks in
their tails.

The skin is pretty and is often made into slippers and
other articles. Servants as a rule object to being ordered
to skin these creatures, chiefly because they, though quite
dead, wriggle in such a life-like way during the operation,
owing to muscular contraction.

Cobras, tic-polongas and other snakes are often met
with on jungle trips. They are most numerous near
rivers and tanks where they can catch numbers of rats
and frogs and other small creatures. The record cobra
was killed in the Northern Province in 1898 and measured
seven feet four inches in length. Any over six feet may
be considered of unusual size.

IGUANAS.

Sportsmen, while after game in high forest in the low-
country, are often startled by the sudden scurrying away
of huge lizard-like creatures commonly called iguanas.
The Sinhalese call them talagoya and the Tamils uddumbu.

They grow to a length of four feet or more, and are hunted
with dogs by the villagers, who are fond of their flesh. It
has often been tasted by Europeans and pronounced to be
something like chicken. They are extraordinarily strong
creatures. It requires a strong man to drag one out of a
narrow hole into which it has got its head and fore-legs.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 91

HARES.

The hare found in Ceylon is the " black-necked hare "
lepus nigricollis. The Sinhalese name is hawa, and the Tamil
rmisal. They are found almost everywhere but are most
common in the sandy coast-forests. In some places in the
northern parts they can be kicked out of almost every bush.
They also swarm round the tanks and open places and in
abandoned over-grown fields in the interior. The best time
to go after them is at dusk. The weight of a well-grown
one will be from 5 to 8 Ib.

FLYING FOXES.

At certain seasons of the year when most of the trees are
in fruit, some amusement may be had in shooting flying
foxes, a large kind of fruit-eating bat. It must be done by
moonlight while they are fluttering about some tree feeding.
Though heavy fliers and broad-winged it requires some
knack to bring them down in the uncertain light. The fur
of these creatures is soft and thick and of a dark red colour
and makes pretty purses, pouches, &c. The flesh is much
esteemed by natives. It has been tried by Europeans with
many misgivings and found sweet and tender.

CHAPTER XVI.

PEAFOWL JUNGLE-FOWL, SNIPE AND
PARTRIDGES.

BEAFOWL, paw cristatus, are only found in any
number in the coast-forests, generally within
fifteen miles of the sea. They frequent the bush-
covered plains which stretch round the Island along the
west, north and east shores between Pultalam and Ham-
bantota, and all the tanks, glades and open places in the
vicinity of these plains. For some unknown reason they
are rarely seen in the interior though the conditions of life
for them there would appear to be much the same as in the
coast-forests, and they are not found in the hills. They are
fond of stalking about feeding in the long tank-grass when
their colour and markings make them difficult to be distin-
guished. Several flocks, each of half-a-dozen cocks and hens
may often be seen during an afternoon's stroll in some parts.
Being protected by law as "game" they may not be fired
at without a game license or during the close season. The
Sinhalese name for them is "monara" and the Tamil
"miyil."

The cocks carry their long trains, which are from four to
five feet long, and are called " thokai " in Tamil, in the wet
months between October and March. This seems to be
the pairing season, for the cocks may then be seen posturing
and dancing about, with their tails spread and wings droop-

SPORT IN CEYLON. 93

ing, before the hens. They may sometimes be seen sitting
on the branches of dead trees with trains outspread
sunning themselves. The hens though handsome birds are
dowdy -looking in comparison with their resplendent mates.
Peafowl are strong-winged birds but heavy fliers and
cannot go far. To compensate for this they are very fast
runners, as many a man has found who has tried to run
down a wounded bird. They have phenomenally acute eye-
sight. Their strident cat-like cries are familiar to all who
have been in the coast-forests. The leopards and wild cats
are their principal enemies, pouncing on them in the long
grass. Their food consists of seeds, grain, grass, buds and
also insects. They are said to kill all the snakes they find.

The hens lay from five to ten roundish freckled eggs,
2J in. by 2 in , on the bare ground or grass without any
proper nest and sit for about thirty days. A sitting pea-hen
will allow people to come very close to it before rising.
Should one whirr up suddenly out of the grass near by, it
is almost certain that it has a nest there. Natives often
find the eggs, and placing them under domestic hens raise
the pea-chicks. Peafowl become very tame and bold in
captivity, but the cocks are generally found a nuisance from
their ear-piercing cries and their vicious habit of killing
domestic cocks which they follow about pertinaciously and
peck to death.

The meat of full-grown birds is generally tough, but
when tender is much like that of turkey, but has a
disagreeable looking red tinge. It will "keep" a long
time, but is usually considered indigestible when cold.
Peacock oil is a great remedy among natives for
rheumatism.

Peafowl generally keep to the forest during the heat
of the day, only corning out into the open to feed in the
mornings and evenings. They may be shot in several
ways, the most sporting way being to stalk them and
shoot them with a rifle, but owing to their wariness and

94 SPORT IN CEYLON.

telescopic sight they are most difficult creatures to get
within range of. One way of getting them, when found
out in the open, is to walk towards them * * slanting-
dicularly " with a shot gun. As their enemy approaches
the flock, if not previously alarmed by shots, will stalk
slowly towards the forest. There is usually a fringe of
brush-wood at the edge of the jungle, and as soon as the
last bird has entered it, the sportsman should run at the
top of his speed towards them. He will probably reach
the jungle before they have gone very far in. On hearing
his footsteps they are likely to be panic-stricken and to
take to wing, when he will have an easy flying-shot.
Peafowl are easily tree'd by a dog. Perched up among
the branches they will sit craning their necks, watching
the antics of the barking little beast below, and often
allow the sportsman to come within easy shot before flying
off. They have favourite roosting-places, often in trees
overhanging water, to which they resort every night.
Natives take advantage of this habit and lie in wait for
them and shoot them when they come to roost, sometimes
by moonlight. When come on suddenly at close quarters
they generally run so quickly into the jungle that there
is hardly time to bring the gun to the shoulder, but if they
fly off it is difficult to miss them. They are, however,
not easily killed owing to the thickness of their wings.
Though shot on the wing and falling heavily they will
often pick themselves up and run off at a great pace.
Birds which have been lamed by a gun shot may sometimes
be seen hopping about on one leg.

JUNGLE FOWL.

Any one travelling through the low-country forest is
certain to hear frequently the gamey call of the jungle-
cock, gallus Lafayettii, " George Joyce !" " George Joyce !"
It is peculiar to Ceylon and is called in Sinhalese weli-kukul
and in Tamil katu-koli. The cock is called in these two
languages weli-kukul and katii-shaval respectively.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 95

They are very common in all the forests of the Island,
from the tops of the highest hills to the sea coast, and are
found in all kinds of cover, but prefer high open forest
where they have a better chance of escaping from their
numerous enemies, wild cats, snakes and hawks. At
certain seasons they congregate in great numbers in forests
where the nillu, strMfanthcs, is ripe, in order to feed on
the berries, at which time excellent sport may be obtained.
They may often be seen on the roads especially at cart
halting-places, picking up the spilt paddy and poonac.
Cocks and hens are often seen together, but when the
hens have chickens the cocks usually feed by themselves.

Jungle cocks are very handsome birds with glossy
purple-black backs and arched golden-red tails. Their big
upright red combs are often covered with ticks. They
are very pugnacious and fight fiercely with their long
sharp spurs. They will readily accept the challenge of
any domestic cock- The hens are dowdy little brown
birds and do not look like the mates of such gorgeous
creatures as the cocks. They feed about scratching
vigorously and uttering sharp metallic clucks. When
come on suddenly both cocks and hens usually fly off
making a great outcry. They never go far on the wing
and generally take refuge in a tree if flushed by dogs, in
which case they may easily be shot if approached carefully.
They are fast runners.

Should a cock be heard crowing inside the forest near the
road or any open place it may often be induced to come out
by imitating the flapping of wings by slapping one's leg
very quickly. The cock thinking it to be some rival will
usually rush out at once to give battle, with drooping
wings, head low and neck feathers erect, when it may be
shot with ease.

They roost in trees during the night. Unlike domestic
birds they never crow at night. The hens lay from two to

96 SPORT IN CEYLON.

four creamy-white eggs very like ordinary fowl eggs,
generally in a sort of rough grass-nest under a tree or bush,
but occasionally in hollows of trees at a considerable
distance from the ground. Fowls which are obviously
cross-breeds between the jungle and domestic varieties may
often be seen in the villages. Many attempts have been
made to rear jungle fowl but with little success. The
natives often catch them with ingenious springes set in the
jungle paths. The flesh has a gamey flavour quite distinct
from that of the domestic fowl. Some people will not eat
of jungle fowl shot near villages because they are such
unclean feeders, but the habits of these birds in this respect
are no worse than those of ordinary native poultry.

SNIPE.

Little can be written on the subject of snipe which is not
known to every sport-loving man who has been more than
a few months in Ceylon, nevertheless a few words as to
when and where snipe shooting may most easily be got
may be useful to tyros and visitors to the Island.

The Ceylon snipe is the "pin-tailed snipe " gallinago stenura.
It is called kseswatuwa by the Sinhalese and kichan by the
Tamils. The first snipe is usually seen late in August or
early in September, but they are not numerous enough to
be worth going after till some weeks later. The best shoot-
ing is obtainable during the wet months of December,
January and February. Towards the end of the season
they get plump and are then much less wild than on their
arrival in the Island. By the middle of April they are as a
rule all gone.

During the north-east monsoon snipe may be put up in
every paddy-field, tank and swamp. They swarm in places
where the soil contains in abundance the worms and insects
on which they feed, congregating especially in freshly-
ploughed fields. It is believed that they feed at night.

SPORT IN CEYLOX. 0

Large bags of from fifty to seventy couple to one gun, in
one day, have not infrequently been made, most of them
in the neighbourhood of Trincomalee. In spite of the
thousands killed every year there is no reason to think that
snipe are less numerous now than they were formerly.

In addition to the ordinary snipe, the " painted snipe"
rkynchcea capensi*, is also found. It can be distinguished at
a glince by its handsomer plumage. It is a permanent
resident, breeding in the Island, and is most numerous in
the northern parts, where five or six couple have been shot
in a day. As a rule, however, the proportion is about one
4 'painted" to several hundred " pin-tailed" snipe shot.
They are not easily flushed, and fly more slowly and with
less zig-zagging than ordinary snipe, and usually drop
suddenly into the paddy or sedge after going a short
distance. They rarely uttor any cry on rising. The little
"jack-snipe" is also said to have been shot in the north
of the Island.

Very pretty snipe-shooting may be obtained among the
low bushes fringing fields and tanks in the low-country,
where the birds lie up during the heat of the day. As they
whirr out of the brush-wood, zig-zag off and dive down
again a few yards off, they are very difficult to hit and
afford excellent sport.

All that need be added is the warning that snipe-shooting
in the low-country is about the most trying to the health
of all forms of sport owing to the exposure to the sun, the
glare affecting the eyes, the inhalation of noxious gases from
the mud, the wetting of the legs and feet, and the tempta-
tion to over-much drinking, even of so mild a beverage as
coconut milk.

PARTRIDGES.

Partridges are found only in the Jaffna Peninsula and
along the north-east coast as far as Mullaittivu, and the

13

98 SPORT IN CEYLON.

north- west coast as far as Calpentyn. They live among
the low thorny hushes along the shore, and are never seen
more than a few miles inland. This restricted area seems
to show that they are not indigenous but were introduced,
perhaps from India, by some European sportsman stationed
in Jaffna in the early days of the British occupation.

They are " red-legged " or " grey " partridges, ortygornis
pondiceriana, and are called "kavudari" by the Tamils,
who snare a good many of them for sale. These birds are
usually seen in pairs, but coveys of them are often come
upon. They lie very close in the dense, thorny v bushes
they frequent, and a dog is usually required to get them
out. Sportsmen have often had to poke them out with
sticks, or drive them out with stones. They are swift
runners and often scurry from bush to bush in preference
to rising. They frequently perch in trees, and are sup-
posed to roost in them at night out of reach of the numerous
snakes which infest the thorny bushes on the coast.
The female lays from eight to ten eggs on the ground
without any proper nest. Their food consists of insects
and seeds. They have a peculiar noisy clucking cry which
is supposed to be produced by the male and female
repeating each other's notes with scarcely any interval
between, producing a singular effect. The best bag of
these birds ever made by one gun, was probably twelve
and a half couple, shot by Mr. E. F. Hopkins, c.c.s., at
Jaffna.

Quails are constantly put up by sportsmen in the plains
and glades and other dry grass lands in the low-country,
but they are not often fired at, for the simple reason that
men rarely have ready cartridges loaded with the proper
shot. Quails generally rise almost at one's feet and fly
only a short distance, or run a few yards along the path,
and at such range a charge of ordinary snipe shot is likely
to blow so small a bird to bits. If they are known to be

SPORT IN CEYLON. 99

fairly plentiful in any old chena or abandoned fields it
might be worth while to load a few cartridges with No. 10
shot and a small charge of powder, and to go after them
as they are capital eating. They are, however, scarcely
worth considering as among the game birds of Ceylon.

CHAPTER XVII.

TANK BIRDS.

mHROUGHOUT the year, but especially during the
north-east monsoon, from November to March,
good shooting may be had at the numerous large
irrigation tanks in the interior of the Island, at the
great brackish lakes and estuaries stretching along the
coast and on the perennial rivers on the south-west coast.

Of all the many kinds of birds frequenting these waters
the most numerous and the most sought after by sports-
men are the whistling teal, dendrocygna javanica. They are
not migratory and are to be found on almost every large
stretch of fresh water in the Island all the year round.
They congregate in greatest numbers in tanks in which
stand half-submerged dead trees, arid where there are great
banks of reeds and large sheets of shallow water in which
they can swim about in security, In such places they may
be seen in hundreds. During the day they remain quietly
floating in the shallows or among the reeds, out of the reach
of the crocodiles, or settle on shore close to the edge of the
water and stand preening themselves. They also perch on
the dead trees in the tanks, more especially in the breeding
season ; a curious habit which has given them one of their
popular names, viz., "tree-ducks." When evening ap-
proaches they rise and fly in flocks round the tank, uttering
sibilant cries which can be heard a long way off. After a
time they fly oft' and make their way to newly-ploughed

SPORT IN CEYLON. 101

or sown fields and other feeding grounds, returning to the
tank at daybreak. They are both graminivorous and
insectivorous and consequently find plenty of food. They
breed in the Island, the female laying clutches of from
ten to twelve pure white eggs on the ground or in hollows
of dead trees. Young teal are often brought round for sale
by natives and thrive in confinement.

The usual way of shooting teal is to walk round the tank
or along the bund in the evening, or to hide behind bushes
at the water's edge and fire at them as they fly whistling
over. Most of the large irrigation tanks are provided with
Government canoes with outriggers, and good sport may
usually be obtained by going out on the water and paddling
slowly about. By using a boat birds shot can nearly
always be recovered. When shot from the land a certain
number are sure to fall into the water and be lost, either
through their making their way by swimming and wing-
flapping to the shelter of the reeds or by falling victims to
the crocodiles. Men who have waded into tanks to pick
up dead birds have sometimes been startled by seeing them
taken down by these reptiles before their eyes. Teal are
heavy fliers and are easily shot, No. 5 is considered the best
size of shot for them. Decoys made of light w^ood and painted
to resemble teal have been most successfully used to bring
them within range. As is well known these birds are very
excellent eating.

Flocks of the pretty little goose-teal, nettapus coromandeli-
anus, frequent the larger tanks. Though seldom seen, except
during the north-east monsoon, they are said to breed in
the Island, and to nest in holes in dead trees standing in
the water. The males with their bright metallic hues are
much handsomer than the sober-coloured little brown and
grey females. They are very fast fliers and have a short
sharp quacking cry. They are not easy to shoot or to
recover after being shot.

Every large tank supports a number of darters, plotus
big, handsome birds, with greenish black

102 SPORT IN CEYLOtf.

plumage dashed with silver grey. They breed in the Island,
are great swimmers and divers, and are very shy and diffi-
cult to approach. They are often to be seen swimming
with bodies immersed and only their long snaky necks above
the surface. When alarmed they flap out of the water and
mounting high, fly swiftly in circles round the tank or over
the neighbouring forest. After fishing they are accustomed
to perch with expanded wings on trees and stumps standing
in the water, drying themselves. They are often eaten.

Little cormorants, phalocrocorax pyymceus, are also com-
mon tank birds and have habits very similar to those of
darters. They are black and about the size of teal, and
are called " water-crows" by the natives. They can swim
and dive exceedingly well, often remaining under water
a long time and coming to the surface a good many yards
from the spot where they dived. They are not at all
bad eating.

Little grebes or dab-chicks, podiceps fluviatilis, are not so
common, but may be seen in small nocks on most of the
tanks and brackish estuaries. When flushed they fly off
skimming along the surface and dropping like stones into
the water when out of range. They are difficult to shoot
owing to their diminutive size and rapid flight. When
fired at while swimming they dive with such extraordinary
quickness as apparently to dodge the shot. If only
wounded their powers of swimming and diving make it
almost hopeless to recover them if there are reed-beds
near.

Waiter-pheasants, hydrophasianus cTiirurgus^ may be seen
on many tanks, but are more common on large swamps or
stretches of shallow lake choked with lotus plants, on the
broad floating leaves of which they may be seen running
about on their long-toed feet. It is, however, when they
rise, shewing their white wings and long tail-feathers, that
they are usually caught sight of. They give a peculiar

SPORT IN CEYLON. 103

mewing cry when flitting about in search of the water-
insects on which they feed. They have often been eaten
by sportsmen.

The great beds of reeds growing in most of the tanks and
lakes give cover to large numbers of blue coots, porphyrio
poliocephalus . These are bright-coloured birds but of un-
gainly build with short red bills. They fly heavily, with
awkward legs stretched out behind, and are very easily shot.
It is rare for them to take long flights, and they are usually
seen flapping about the reed-beds, uttering loud cries.
Their nests are often found in the sedge, a few inches above
the water. They can be eaten.

Other birds to be found in most of the tanks of the low-
country, especially in the north-east monsoon, are stately
herons of different kinds, white-necked storks, usually
called "parson birds," fast-flying pelican and black-headed
ibises, also spoonbills, sombre-hued "paddy birds," and
water hens of several species. The loud cries of these
last "wok! wok! korowck ! " are familiar sounds to all
who have camped in the low-country.

A characteristic feature of jungle scenery is the snowy
white egrets standing or stalking about the moist margins
of tanks or in swampy paddy-fields, sometimes perched on
buffaloes relieving them of ticks. In the earlier part of the
year the male birds have long hair-like feathers growing
out of their backs over their tails, which are much prized.
On the grassy expanses round jungle tanks, and in other
open places, may be seen and heard noisy red- wattled lap-
wings, commonly called " did-he-do-its " from their shrill
cries. Their startled screams are often heard at night.
Many of them have been shot by irate sportsmen because
they had by their cries given the alarm to deer which
were being stalked. Other birds often found in the
neighbourhood of tanks, are stone-plovers, called ' ' hare-
eyes " by the natives, and golden plover. The last may
often be seen in flocks on the ground, and in wild districts

104 SPORT IX CEYLON.

will permit sportsmen to walk within range of them before
rising. When flushed they fly swiftly in circles frequently
whizzing past the sportsman within easy shot. Most
people prefer them to snipe for the table.

Every large tank is usually frequented by one or more
pairs of noble-looking sea-eagles, haliaetus leucogasta, whose
long quavering flute-like cries are most pleasant to hear.
Numbers of black-bellied marsh terns are also often seen
hovering over tanks. They come from the coast every day
to feed, returning at night. Four kinds of kingfishers are
to be seen, but are not found at tanks so much as at pools
in the forest or in the rivers, in the banks of which they
make their subterranean nests. It is said that numbers of
them are caught by Moormen and gipsies with decoy birds
and limed twigs, and the skins exported to India and China.
Of course no sportsman will wantonly shoot eagles, terns,
or kingfishers.

Other Birds. — Hair-crested storks, leptoptilus Javanicus,
commonly called marabou cranes, are sometimes seen.
They are generally come on, feeding alone in some small
pool in the forest, and being extremely wary, can, as a
rule, only be shot when taken by surprise. When alarmed
they usually fly off and perch on some tall tree in the
neighbourhood till the danger has passed. The beautiful
feathers under their tails, like miniature ostrich feathers,
are much valued.

The strangest looking birds in the forest are without
doubt the horn-bills, anthracoceros coronatus, which are
frequently found in pairs or small flocks in open forest
adjoining plains and fields. They have a peculiar undu-
lating flight. Though their loud harsh screams enable
them to be easily found, they are not so easily shot
being very difficult to approach. Sportsmen making trips
to the low-country usually try to secure a skin or two of
these birds, with huge hollow head or bill attached, as
curiosities.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 105

Several kinds of wild pigeons are found in the low-
country forest. The largest and finest of these is the
imperial green pigeon, carpophaga cenea, called batagoya by
the Sinhalese. Its noisy flight and loud calls * ' wuk-wu-a ! "
are familiar to sportsmen, all of whom regard it as a bird
well worth shooting. Another large pigeon is the wood
pigeon, palumbus Torringtonice, called milagoya by the
Sinhalese, It is peculiar to the Island, and is very shy and
wary, settling generally at the top of lofty trees. Some
miles to the north of Trincomalee is a small rocky island
inhabited by numbers of rock pigeons, columba intermedia,
where good bags may sometimes be made. There are
several kinds of doves, but they are hardly worth powder
and shot. One of these, the bronze-winged dove, chalco-
phaps Indica, is an extraordinarily swift flier, whizzing
through the tree-choked forest at express speed. The
meat of wild pigeons and doves is generally tough and
bitter, though skilful native cooks sometimes manage to
make it palatable.

Parakeets are common everywhere and are often shot
for the pot when flying over the camp in screaming flocks
in the evening. Parakeet pie and mulligatawny are
excellent. In harvest-time clouds of tiny ortolans fly
about the fields. Dust shot is required for these diminu-
tive birds and a dozen may often be bagged at a shot,
They are most toothsome.

On the great tidal flats of the Jaffna lake, the salt lake
at Mullaittivu called Nanthikadal, and the numerous estn-
aries along the north-east and north-west coasts may be
seen, especially in the wet months of the year, flocks of
pelicans and lines of flamingoes. As they always feed out
in the open, far from cover of any sort, it is not easy to
get shots at them. They are most easily approached in
light canoes, which must be sailed up to them, not paddled.
Pelicans are uneatable, having a very ' ' ancient and fish-
like" taste, but a well-cooked young flamingo is as succulent

14

106 SPORT IN CEYLON.

a bird as ever appeared on a camp table. In the words of
the French restaurateur commending his viands to the
British tourist, "It shall leave you nothing to hope for."
When the tide is out numbers of curlew, whimbrel and
other sea birds may be seen feeding on the shore or on the
flats. They may be shot by lying in wait behind bushes
on the sea beach, but are more easily got from canoes.
They are both excellent eating. All sea birds, and in fact
nearly all wild birds, should be skinned and kept some time
before cooking.

A few pin-tailed and garganey ducks and common teal
are sometimes shot in the north-east monsoon, in the
northern parts of the Island, but can scarcely be included
among the game birds of Ceylon.

CHAPTER XVIII.

NIGHT-SHOOTING.

IGHT-SHOOTING is almost the only kind of
" sport" indulged in by natives, many of whom
are keen hunters, which, however, does not
prevent them from murdering does and fawns or any other
animal which they think will pay them to kill. As
Europeans usually shoot purely for love of sport, and are
not actuated by commercial motives, the less they employ
native methods the better. Night-shooting is only allowable
when bears and leopards, and perhaps wild boars and
porcupines, are the object of sport, as these animals are.
rarely met with in the day time.

Though it cannot be regarded as [quite a legitimate
kind of sport, there can be no doubt that it is a very
fascinating one. The pleasure consists in the feeling of
being almost alone in the depths of the jungle at night
when all wild creatures are afoot, the weird beauty of the
moonlit forest, the deep silence, broken only by the distant
cries of prowling beasts and startled birds, and the un-
certainty as to what wild animal might at any moment
come to drink. It is almost impossible for a novice at
the sport to sleep, and he will sit for hours, straining his
eyes into the darkness and listening intently for sounds
indicating the approach of some animal. If he is ambushed
on the bank of some dry river, perhaps some solitary bun-
elephant will come striding down the river-bed, the

108 SPORT IN CEYLON.

scrunch of the sand under its huge feet distinctly audible
in the stillness. The temptation to have a shot at it,
under the excuse of being in danger, will be almost irresis-
tible, but should be resisted. A shout will be sufficient
to scare the huge beast away. A herd of cow elephants
and calves might come, when the hidden sportsman will do
well to make no sound, for a more interesting sight than
elephants drinking he will never see, and, unless on the
ground or vtry near the water, he will be quite safe. A
pair of sambhur or a herd of cheetul, or wild pigs might
emerge from the forest and hasten to the water with out-
stretched necks, heedless in their thirst of the possibility
of an enemy lurking near. Porcupines often appear singly
or in pairs and play about, snapping at each other and
rustling their quills.

Night-shooting is only practised on moonlight nights
from June to October, when most of the drinking-places
in the forest are dry, or have been so stirred by the jungle
people in catching in baskets the fish with which they swarm
and by the wallowing of pigs and sambhur, as to contain
fluid mud rather than water. The wild beasts, being unable
to drink at these tanks and pools, go and dig for water in
the sandy beds of the dry rivers. The spots chosen are
generally at the bends, where the streams in the rains have
scoured deep hollows under the banks. Here the elephants
and sambhur dig great holes in the wet sand with their
feet, wild pigs with their snouts and hoofs, arid bears with
their paws. In some places there are springs which never
dry, and in time of drought the forest in the neighbourhood
becomes so infested by thirsty wild animals that natives
are afraid to venture near the spot.

As a rule, it is of no use to attempt night-shooting till
the moon is in its third quarter, both because its light will
not be strong enough and because it will set too soon.
Shooting may be obtained for several days after full moon,
as, except in very hot, dry weather, wild animals do not
usually come to drink much before midnight.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 109

The choice of the place at which to sit up had better be
left to the native guide, also the selection of the spot at
which the ambush is to be put up. Natives often construct
ambushes at the edge of tanks, but it is not a satisfactory
mode of night-shooting, except that, being in the open, the
wind may be depended on and there is plenty of light.
The great stretch of water makes it impossible to calculate
at what point animals are likely to come to drink, and the
sportsman will probably be disgusted to see indistinct black
objects moving about at the edge of the tank just out of
range. Moreover, bears and leopards rarely come to tanks
to drink. The best places for night-shooting are pools in
the forest, rock-holes in which rain water has collected,
and water-holes dug in dry river beds. There are, in
different parts of the country, drinking-places which are
believed by the villagers to be haunted by devils, which
maliciously frighten away the deer and pigs coming to
drink. Native hunters will never attempt to shoot at such
places, believing that it would be useless. The real reason
why shots are never obtained at these pools is that, owing
to the shape of the rocks or trees surrounding them, the
wind eddies about, and animals approaching the spot are
able to detect the presence of the hidden hunter wherever
he may be crouching. At every drinking-place there is
some spot which the natives have learnt by experience is
the best place for the ambush, as it is situated to the lee-
ward of the water during the night- wind prevailing in the
dry season. The clay banks behind favourite drinking
places in dry river beds are sometimes small lead mines,
owing to the numbers of bullets fired into them by gener-
ations of native hunters at animals which they missed !
It is a common practice for villagers to dig out these bullets
with sharp sticks.

On reaching the spot where it is proposed to sit up,
the first thing to be done is to ascertain how the wind is
blowing. It may be moving in one direction above the
trees but in quite a different one in the opening in the

110 SPORT IN CEYLON.

forest below, owing to its rebound from the wall of trees
opposite. The swirls and eddies of wind along the bends
of winding dry river beds are most puzzling. Many a
blank night has resulted from the shifting of the wind
during the earlier part of the night. The easiest way to
find out how the wind is blowing is to blow a few whiffs
of tobacco smoke, or to set alight some dry elephant dung
or dead leaves. In the latter case all traces of the fire
should be removed. The margin of the water-hole should
not be approached, except for a few moments to ascertain
from the foot-prints in the mud what animals had drunk
there the previous night. If possible, a water-hole should
be selected well out in the open which will not be over-
shadowed by the trees when the moon begins to sink.

Two kinds of ambush are used by natives according to
the disposition of the animal expected, and the nature of
the ground. One, called in Tamil a shrambi, is a platform
built in a tree or on a high bank, and the other, called a
wuli, is a hole dug in the ground. The former is generally
put up in dense forest where large trees stand near the
water. It is a most uncomfortable contrivance to sit in,
and is liable to give the sportsman cramps and aches, as
he dare not move freely, to ease his stiffening limbs, for
fear the creaking of the shaky structure might alarm
some approaching animal. Wiilis are usually dug at the
margin of pools in the open, the earth thrown out helping
to conceal the hunter, and serving as a gun-rest. They are
more comfortable than shrambis, but are generally damp.
Ambushes are sometimes made at water-holes among rocks
by building a low semi-circular wall of loose stones.

It is as well to go to the shooting-place at least a couple
of hours before sunset, so as to have plenty of time to
get the ambush ready. A sharp jungle-knife and plenty
of coir string or jungle-creeper should be taken, also a
lantern in case rain comes on, or it is necessary for any
other reason to return to camp before morning, or to

SPORT IN CEYLON. Ill

search for something lost. A pillow ami a rug or blanket
should be provided for comfort, also such refreshment as
may be required, which may be leisurely partaken of
before darkness comes on. The writer has more than
once got shots by daylight at animals which came to
drink soon after he got into the shrambi and while he was
having his dinner.

It is generally better for the sportsman to take two
natives with him, and make them watch in turns while he
sleeps, if he can get trustworthy men. An extra man will
make no difference, except that the ambush will probably be
inconveniently crowded, and he will find the odour of un-
washed humanity in close proximity rather strong. Wild
animals coming to drink will be able to smell two men just
as easily as three. If, however, the sportsman is confident
that from discomfort, excitement or other cause he will
not be able to sleep, or knows that he will snore, or will
wake up with an exclamation or snort when he feels the
touch of the watcher's hand warning him of the coming
of some animal, he had better take only one man with
him, and make up his mind to an all-night sitting. The
watchers should never be allowed to bring their own guns
to the shooting-place, most of them being dangerous
weapons which go off at the slightest concussion, owing
to the homicidal habit all natives have of putting the ham-
mers down on the caps.

Hammerless guns, or guns, the hammers of which are out
of the line of aim when at full-cock, are the best for night
shooting. Different kinds of sights are used by natives,
a triangular piece of white shell fixed on a lump of bees-
wax, daubing the muzzle with lime, and other similar con-
trivances. Each experienced European has usually his
own favourite device. In the writer's experience there is
nothing so effective as a strip of white paper one-eighth
of an inch wide fixed with beeswax along the mid rib, the
whole length of the barrels. This thin white line is visible

112 SPORT IN CEYLON.

even by starlight, and pretty accurate shooting can be made
by means of it. The great difficulty in night-shooting is
to avoid firing over or under the animal from a lofty
shrambi or low wiili. As everyone knows moonlight is
most deceptive as to the size of objects. It is quite possible
to mistake, at first glance, a big wild-boar for an elephant
or a wild-cat for a leopard.

Many men think that after a shot has been fired no
animal is likely to come to drink for a long time. Such,
nevertheless, is not the case, sportsmen having often got a
second shot a few minutes after the first. Gun-shots do
not seem to scare animals unless they happen to be very
close. The dense forest deadens the sound, and the wild
creatures probably think the reports to be cracks of
thunder, or the crash of falling trees. Sportsmen often
suffer much discomfort trying to suppress coughs and
sneezes. Of course it is as well to make as little noise as
possible, but the chances are against an animal coming to
drink just at the moment one's throat or nose begins to
tickle ! There is no harm generally in smoking, as, if an
approaching beast can smell the smoke it can also smell
the hidden men. Musquitos are often very troublesome
at water-holes and smoking serves to drive them away.
When, however, the ambush is very close to the water,
and on very still nights when the smoke hangs, it is best
to refrain.

It is impossible to even guess at what hour of the night
animals will come to drink, as everything depends on the
scarcity or otherwise of water in the neighbourhood, and
whether the previous day had been hot or cloudy. They
may come before sunset or not till just before sunrise, but
wild animals usually drink just before lying down for their
midnight sleep. They do not invariably drink every night,
sometimes only on alternate nights. A slight shower, not
sufficient to cause the rain-water to stand in pools, will
not prevent animals coming to drink the following night.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 113

Bears come to drink as often in pairs as singly, and
sometimes a mother with two half -grown cubs will come
together. The whimpering, grunting, and sniffing of bears
coming to drink may often be heard several minutes before
they appear. They usually shuffle up to the water-hole
at a quick pace and begin to drink or dig at once. When
thus occupied they generally become so absorbed in satis-
fying their thirst as to be heedless of everything else.
Sometimes, when the hole excavated in the river-bed is
deep, they disappear into it before the hunter has time to
fire, and he has to wait till they have satisfied their thirst
and come out. This, they often do so quickly, that only a
snap-shot can be got as they shuffle off into the fjungle.
Many a bear has been lost by being fired at too soon ;
almost as soon as seen. There is usually plenty of time
for the shot, but if the brute stops suddenly, raises its
long white nose and sniffs loudly there is no time to be
lost in firing. Bears, owing to their black hides, are con-
spicuous objects and not easily missed, and they are not
difficult to kill. When hit they utter the most heart-
rending cries, or, if severely wounded, lie down and bite
their paws, growling fiercely. If one of a pair is hurt
and howls, its companion will sometimes attack it open-
mouthed. If a mother-bear is shot the cub will run
excitedly round it, uttering shrill little barks, and on the
approach of the hunters will run nimbly up the nearest
tree, when it may easily be caught. If, by mischance, the
cub only is killed, the mother will bolt at the shot, but will
not leave the neighbourhood, and if she discovers the men
in ambush may attack them, and will certainly keep them
awake by her fierce, rapid movements in the jungle near,
and her angry growls. If one of a pair of bears is shot it
is best to remain perfectly still, as the other may return
after a few minutes to ascertain what had happened to its
mate.

Leopards coming to drink rarely give any notice of their
approach by any sound, but the bellowing of sambhur and

15

114 SPORT IN CEYLON.

the belling of cheetul often indicate their presence in the
neighbourhood and put the hunter on the alert. Their
colour and markings make it difficult to see them clearly
in the moonlight, and they come so stealthily as to
generally give the eagerly-watching hunter a start by
their sudden appearance. On going to the water a leopard
will often walk daintily round the edge till it finds a clean
dry spot, and then may lie down to lap. It should not,
of course, be fired at while in this position, as a clean miss
is likely to be the result, and as the brute bounds away
with a startled growl, there is little likelihood of doing
any execution with the left-hand barrel. Leopards usually
take little notice of any unusual light. A lantern may be
hung over the water or over a "kill," and the brute will,
as likely as not, walk right under it without hesitation.

Wild boars on being fired at often bolt without a sound
though mortally wounded. As a rule, however, if any
animal dashes off in silence, or only with a grunt or'growl,
it is safe to conclude that it has been missed.

Porcupines are often missed with a bullet as they seem
much larger in the moonlight than they really are, owing
to their quills. They are easily killed with a charge of
large shot.

When any animal has been shot at a water-hole,
the body may be safely left to lie there as other bears,
leopards, &c., will come up to it without hesitation
attracted by the smell of blood. If, however, the hunter
should consider it better to remove the dead animal, it
should be carefully done, so as to leave as little human
scent behind as possible. The carcase should then be
dragged to the ambush and laid on its stomach with its
legs stretched out so as to stiffen in a position which will
enable it to be easily skinned in the morning. The body
of a bear should not be brought too near the ambush, as it
is sure to be covered with ticks, which will leave the
carcase and crawl over everything near.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 115

On returning to camp after a night spent in the forest
a good dose of quinine should be taken to ward off the
effects of malaria and chill.

It is not unlikely that some scientific (?) sportsman will
invent before long some kind of electric lamp to be used
in night-shooting. Possibly such an apparatus is already
in use. It is to be hoped that all true sportsmen will set
their faces against anything of the sort, and will take steps
to prevent its use. Night-shooting, even by moonlight, is
only justifiable under certain circumstances, but butchering
game by the electric light on dark nights cannot be
defended in any way.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE GAME LAWS.

mHE most important of the Game Laws of Ceylon
is Ordinance No. 10 of 1891, which was passed
"To prevent the wanton destruction of elephants,
buffaloes and other game."

Under this Ordinance a license which costs R100 is
required to shoot an elephant. It may be obtained from
the Colonial Secretary or any Government Agent or
Assistant Government Agent, who, however, may refuse
to issue it, or may revoke it after issue. If a license is
refused or revoked appeal may be made to the Governor,
but it must be sent in within seven days of date of letter
refusing or revoking the license. The shooting of tuskers
is expressly prohibited, and license is given only to ' ' shoot
at or kill " one elephant, and the holder of the license is not
at liberty to fire at and wound an unlimited number of
elephants till he kills one. The officer issuing the license
may insert any conditions he pleases, such as that no cow-
elephants, or any bulls under a certain height, are to be
killed, and may restrict the district or forest and the time
within which the animal may be shot at. No license can
be in force more than three months. Free licenses may be
issued to shoot any "troublesome or dangerous" tusker or
elephant.

Any person shooting a tusker without a license is liable
to a fine of R 1,000 and confiscation of the tusks, and shoot-

SPORT IN CEYLON. 117

ing a tuskless elephant without license involves a fine of
R250, with perhaps six months' rigorous imprisonment
added.

To capture a tusker or other elephant a license costing
BIO is required which will cease to be in force after three
months. If the elephant caught is taken out of the Island
an export duty of R250 must be paid.

To shoot a wild buffalo a license which costs B20, and
which will only be in force three months, must be obtained
from the Government Agent or Assistant Government
Agent. A license to capture one costs only B2.

Any person shooting or capturing a buffalo without a
license may be fined B100 and given three months' imprison-
ment in addition. There is no close season for buffaloes.
Free licenses may be issued to shoot any " troublesome or
dangerous " buffalo.

" Game " is defined in the Ordinance to mean " sambhur,
spotted deer, red deer, barking deer and peafowl."

To shoot at, kill or capture game a license which costs
B3'50, and which will be in force "from date of issue till
the 30th day of June next following," must be obtained
from the Government Agent or Assistant Government
Agent. It is prohibited to shoot game during the close
season proclaimed by the Government Agent, which may
not exceed five months in any year ; also to shoot at game
4 'after dark and before daylight," also to " at any time
lay or spread any net or snare, except in or upon any culti-
vated land, for the purpose of capturing or destroying
any game," also to have in possession during the close
season any " meat of game" which cannot be accounted
for satisfactorily.

Any person shooting at, killing or capturing game
without a license is liable to a fine of B30 for each animal
killed, plus three months' imprisonment. Shooting at night

118 SPORT IN CEYLON.

or spreading of nets or snares at any time, or transference
of licenses may be punished by a fine of R100, with three
months' imprisonment added. Shooting in the close
season or illegal possession of game-meat during that season
involves a fine of R50, plus three months' imprisonment.
Informers may be paid half of all fines recovered under
this Ordinance.

Elephants, buffaloes, deer, and peafowl trespassing on
cultivated land may be shot without license, but informa-
tion must be given at once to the nearest headman or
police officer.

Ordinance No. 19 of 1869 requires every owner of any
description of firearm or air gun to take out a license to
possess and use it, which may be obtained of any Govern-
ment Agent or Assistant Government Agent on payment
of Bl *25 ; or 50 cents only if the license obtained for it by a
former owner is produced. The penalties provided are a
fine not exceeding R20 and forfeiture of the unlicensed gun.
Any headman, police officer or peace officer failing to
inform against a person owning an unlicensed gun is liable
to a fine not exceeding R50 for each case. This Ordinance
is likely to be superseded shortly by a new one.

Other Ordinances which are of interest to sportsmen are
No. 18 of 1886, for " the Protection of Wild Birds," which
is practically a dead letter, and No. 6 of 1893 for " the Pro-
tection of Introduced Birds, Beasts and Fishes."

CHAPTER XX.

THE DECREASE OF GAME; ITS CAUSES
AND REMEDIES.

»Tp«HE causes of the great decrease in the game of
the country during the last twenty years or so, in
spite of laws which are so stringent as practically
to prohibit natives from shooting, are easy to see. They
are («) the impossibility of exercising any effective control,
by means of the headmen, over the actions of many
thousands of villagers scattered throughout some twelve
thousand square miles of wild forest ; (b) the demand that
has arisen for deer hides and horns for export, and for fresh
and dried meat for local consumption ; (c) the increase and
improvement in the guns in the hands of natives ; and (d)
the scarcity of water in the low-country during the dry
season, from June to October.

As regards the impossibility of enforcing the present
game laws, it is obviously too much to expect of the
ignorant, unpaid headmen of jungle villages that they
would disregard the advantages resulting to themselves
and their people from the illicit shooting of deer, and that
they would incur the hostility of their fellow- villagers and
the enmity of the Moor traders who supply the powder
and bullets and take the hides and horns, and to whom
they are probably personally indebted — by prosecuting
offenders, practically at their own expense, trudging to

120 SPORT IN CEYLON.

court, perhaps forty miles distant, and probably two or
three times, owing to postponements of the case. The
difficulty of proving the commission of the offences of
"shooting of game after dark and before daylight," or of
"spreading any net or snare for game" in wild forest
districts is so obvious, as to scarcely need pointing out.
Any villager, bringing deer meat to his village during the
close season has only to say that it was that of an animal
which he had found lying in the forest killed by a leopard,
to be perfectly safe. No headman would take the trouble
to verify his statement.

Twenty years ago the hides of sambhur were frequently
left in the forest as not worth removal, only a few being
taken for covering cots and for making ropes and sandals.
There was not much demand for cheetul hides, except for
export to Southern India, where they appear to be valued
as sleeping mats and cot-coverlets. When Ordinance No.
11 of 1891 was passed imposing an enhanced export duty on
deer hides and horns, the trade which had sprung up in
these articles, received a heavy blow, from which, however,
there is reason to believe, it is recovering through the
establishment of local tanneries, where the raw hides are
dressed to be exported as leather, so escaping the Customs
duty.

The number of guns in the Island is very large ; far in
excess of what is required by native cultivators for guard-
ing their fields and gardens from wild beasts. According
to the registers kept at the different Kachcheries, 175,484
guns have been licensed since the Firearms Ordinance No.
19 of 1869 came into force (see Appendix A.) As, however,
some of these registers are incomplete, it is probable that
the real number of guns which have registered approaches
200,000. Many of these guns have, of course, been broken
up as useless, or have been taken out of the country by
Europeans. But the fact that 72,422 guns have been
licensed during the last twenty years shews that they are

SPORT IX CEYLON. 121

still very numerous. Of these, 37,725 were licensed in the
hill districts, shewing that they were owned mainly by
planters ; 18,301 were licensed in the Colombo, Galle,
Matara, and Chilaw districts, in which little or no game is
to be found ; and only 16,396 were licensed in the forest
districts of the north, east and south cf the Island. It has
been estimated that after making allowances for guns not
licensed and guns out of order and useless or unfitted for
shooting large game, there cannot be more than about
14,844 guns in the hands of jungle villagers, which number,
however, may be safely asserted to be more than enough
for the wants of the people, as it represents more than one
j gun for every square mite of forest.

Many sportsmen seem to think that every native who
owns a gun is a slayer of deer, and that he is constantly
shooting ; but such is not the case. Much of the destruction
of game is done by well-to-do men from the towns who
combine business and pleasure by making shooting-trips
to the jungle three or four times a year. Some of these
are very keen hunters, but everything is game which
comes within range of their guns. The majority of the
jungle villagers use their guns very seldom ; not being
able to afford to buy powder and bullets, except in minute
quantities. The Moor traders will only supply ammuniticn
on credit to professional hunters. Single-barrelled cap-
guns are almost universally in use, double-barrels being
rare, while rifles and breechloaders are almost unknown.
Many of these native-owned guns are excessively dangerous
to fire, having barrels half-eaten through by the corrosive
action of burnt powder never cleaned out, locks stiff with
rust and nipples loose. Fortunately the danger is lessened
by iHe inferior quality of the powder used, a good deal
of which is said to be ground-down blasting powder. A
very large number of guns are used in shooting small
animals and birds, also in firing salutes at weddings and
other festivities, and are never taken to the forest. The
possession of a gun seems to be regarded by many natives
mainly as a sort of certificate of being well-to-do

16

122 SPORT IN CEYLON,

respectable. Twenty years ago ancient gingalls, fired
from rests, match-locks which had been converted into
flint-locks, old Tower muskets and other fearsome weapons
were common, but are now seldom seen. Should the
proposed annual tax on guns be imposed, it is probable
that many of these dangerous old fire-arms will be des-
troyed as not being worth paying for — a result much to
be desired.

An important point to be borne in mind when con-
sidering the destruction of game by natives is the very
few opportunities they have of shooting. As everybody
knows, almost their only method of shooting is by moon-
light, at water-holes, during the dry season. The dry
months being usually only five, from June to October,
and as there is only sufficient light on about six nights
during each month to be worth shooting by, it follows
that natives have only about thirty days in each year
during which they can kill game. They do sometimes
shoot by daylight at drinking-places in exceptionally dry
seasons, but the deer thus killed are only a small fraction
of the number killed at night.

The number of deer killed annually by leopards is larger
than might be supposed. Assuming that there are 1,660
leopards in the Island of all ages and sexes (see page 127),
of which half are adults, and that each adult kills one deer
every other month (not too low an estimate if it is con-
sidered that a leopard's food mainly consists of monkeys,
mouse-deer, hares and other small animals), then 4, 980 deer
will have been destroyed by them annually. Of these a
not inconsiderable number will be bucks. Natives fre-
quently pick up in the jungle the antlers of bucks which
have met their deaths in this way.

The principal reason, however, for the great decrease of
game is simply the scarcity of water in the low-country
during the five dry months of the year. The immense
forests could easily support ten times as many head of

SPORT IN CEYLON. 123

game as are now to be found in them, and if the water
supply was in reasonable proportion to the cover, the
natives could not exercise their destructive method of
shooting, and the process of extermination now going on
would be almost impossible. The professional hunters
might, of course, take to stalking deer in European
fashion, and though their brown colour and naked feet
would be of great advantage to them in creeping up to
game undetected, they would not be able to shoot a tithe
of the deer they now kill. It is net only the actual shoot-
ing done by natives at water-holes which destroys the
game. It is probable that a good many animals, especially
fawns, die every year practically of thirst, being unable to
get water, every drinking-place for miles being watched
by natives in ambush. In exceptionally dry years the
mortality from this cause must be considerable. At such
times the poor creatures are harried to death, day and
night, as their sufferings force them to come out into the
open and drink in broad daylight, when they are shot
down with ease by the merciless villagers.

Though difficult it is not impossible to make a rough
estimate of the number of deer of all kinds in our forests.
Some members of the Ceylon Game Protection Society
recently came to the conclusion, after inspecting a number
of cut and shed horns lying at the Colombo Custom House,
and from figures given to them by the Principal Collector
of Customs, as to the quantity of horns exported, that an
average of 120,000 sambhur and cheetul are killed every
year.

A little consideration will shew that there must be some-
thing wrong with this estimate. If correct, it proves a
great deal too much, for it shews that, in spite of the
immense destruction of game, both in the past and at
present, our forests still teem with deer to an incredible
extent. As these forests cover about 12,000 square miles,
including tanks, fields, villages, &c., it follows that" ten

124 SPOUT IN CEYLON.

deer, on an average, are killed every year, in every sqiiare
mile of the low-country, and that there must be 360,000 deer
in all, or thirty, on an average, in every square mile, to
stand such a drain. This last cc inclusion is arrived at by
assuming that deer are being killed out at a rate so much
higher than the birth rate, that the cervine race in the
Island will be extinct in thirty years ; that the proportion
of the sexes is 20% of adult bucks, 30% of adult does, and
50% of young of both sexes, and that every adult doe has
one fawn annually. No man who has fagged unsuccessfully
after cheetul, morning after morning, or tramped high
forest after sambhur, will be easily convinced that there
are, on an average, thirty of these two kinds of deer in
every 640 acres of the low-country. The probability is that
the figures given to the Ceylon Game Protection Society
were erroneous, perhaps incl tiding the horns of cattle
and buffaloes, though this is hard to believe.

A more reasonable estimate may be arrived at in the
following way. Assuming that each of the 14,844 guns,
estimated to be in the hands of native hunters, accounts,
during the thirty clays of moonlight in each year, for two
deer killed, and adding 4,980 killed by leopards, and 1,332
which die of wounds, thirst or accidents, a total will be
got of 36,000 deer destroyed annually. A small calculation,
made with the data given in the last paragraph, will shew
that, if so many are killed, there must now be 108,000
deer of all kinds in the low-country, or nine for every
square mile.

Of these 108,000, it may be roughly estimated that
60,000 are cheetul, 36,000 are sambhur, and 12,000 are
muntjak, or five cheetul, three sambhur, and one inuntjak
in every square mile.

With regard to elephants, the probability is that for
a number of years past their number has been about
stationary. Ever since the great destruction of these
Jluge creatures, from forty to fifty years ago, when

SPORT IN CEYLOX. 125

hundreds were killed for the sake of the Government
reward, their increase has been more or less balanced by
the number captured by the Pannikkans or shot by
sportsmen, or native cultivators watching their fields and
chenas.

During the last thirty-seven years an average number
of 62 elephants, caught by the Pannikkans, have been
exported from the Island. (See Appendix B.) As the
methods of these men are most destructive to life, it
may be assumed that only one out of three elephants
caught survives, which will account for 124 more. They
frequently fire at elephants to drive them off or to repel
attacks, and it is probable that at least 24 are killed
every year in this way. As villagers frequently fire at
elephants trespassing on cultivated land, which afterwards
die in the forest, it may be estimated that 40 are so killed
annually. Probably not more than 25 elephants on an
average are killed by sportsmen every year, arid a similar
number, perhaps, meet with accidental death or are killed
in fighting. This gives a total of 300 elephants, on an
average, which have been killed or caught in Ceylon
annually. in recent years.

Assuming that the death-rate and birth-rate about
balance themselves, it follows, as female elephants breed
only once in about two years, that there must be 600 adult
cows in the Island. If we then take the proportions of
the adult balls and cows and the immature young of
both sexes to be 20 %, 30 %, and 50 % respectively, it will
be seen that there must be about 2,000 elephants all told in
our forests. This would give a herd or family of five for
every thirty square miles, which would seem probable
enough, seeing that there are vast tracts in which scarcely
an elephant is to be found.

This estimate will no doubt seem to some people, who
have not given the subject full consideration, a very low
one. Government officers travelling on duty in the forest

126 SPORT IN CEYLON.

in the dry weather, and seeing a number of elephants
congregated at a tank, are apt to imagine that the surround-
ing forests are swarming with them ; whereas the truth
probably is that the herd seen at the tank is the only one
for scores of square miles of waterless country round.
Elephants sometimes come, night after night, to some
particular drinking-place, and Europeans, seeing this,
might easily over-estimate the number in the neighbour-
hood, not realizing that it is the same herd or family which
comes every night. The creatures are so big and so
destructive to vegetation in their feeding, that it is easy
for anyone coming on their tracks to form erroneous ideas
as to their number from the marks they leave.

Considering the immense cover, it is strange that leopards
and bears should not be more numerous than they are.
The former are more prolific than the latter, but owing to
the difficulty they have in finding food and to their hard
lives, probably do not increase any faster. Not more than
one cub per annum to each she-leopard and she-bear can
be reckoned on.

It has been calculated that since the passing of Ordinance
No. 6 of 1872, rewards for the destruction of 8,873 leopards
have been paid at the different Kachcheries in the Island.
(See appendix C.) This does not represent the actual
number killed, as, if a skin is worth more than R5, which
is very often the case, the owner will prefer to sell it in
the bazaar, rather than take it to the Kachcheri for the
reward, where it would have to be given up. It is probable
that at least half of those shot by natives are thus disposed
of. This will give a total of 13,310 leopards or 492 shot
annually during 27 years, and if we add eight for animals
killed in fighting or by accident, a total of 500 is arrived at.

Assuming that as many leopards die every year as are
born, and that each she-leopard brings up only one cub out
Of two or more born annually, it follows, reasoning as in

SPORT IN CEYLON.- 127

the case of deer and elephants, that there must be about
1,660 leopards of all sexes and ages in the Island, or about
one for every 7| square miles of forest.

The number of bears in our forests can only be roughly
guessed at. They are seldom shot by natives as the reward
is small and their skins are practically worthless. They
are only fired at when they come unexpectedly to -deer
drinking -places. During the last 27 years rewards were
paid by Government for the destruction of 2,401 bears, or
an average of 89 per annum. Of these more than half
were killed on the Northern Province. (See Appendix C.)
The food of bears is more easily got than that of leopards,
and though the females have usually only one cub at a
time, they look after their young more affectionately
than she-leopards, and probably fewer die in cub-hood.
Bears are no doubt rather more numerous than leopards,
but being strictly night-animals, and as they confine
themselves to the densest forest, rarely coming near
inhabited places, they are not so often seen. An estimate
of 2,000 bears of all ages, or one for every six square miles
of forest, w^ould perhaps not be very wide of the mark.

Of recent years wild buffalos have greatly decreased in
number ; perhaps through murrain. It is probable that
there are now not more than a few hundreds in the wild
parts of the Eastern and North-Central Provinces and the
Province of Uva.

The orly absolutely certain way of preventing the exter-
mination of game would be the creation of extensive
"sanctuaries," and the multiplication of drinking-places
in them. The Forest Department is now busy demarcating
large " reserved forests," every river, taftk, rock-pool or
other drinking-place in which will be known and marked
on maps, and will be constantly visited by the patrolling
forest- watchers. Any person trespassing within the defined
limits for any purpose whatever, without a pass, will be
liable to arrest and punishment. These forests will be

128 SPORT IX CEYLON.

practically "sanctuaries," and the deer in them, being
unmolested, will rapidly increase. If the Game Protection
Society provided funds for the making of fresh drinking
places where water was scarce, and fcr clearing round
existing water-holes and opening broad paths to them,
so as to make it difficult for leopards to lie in wait there,
much practical good would be done in the way of protect-
ing deer from their two-legged and four-legged enemies.

It will be some years before these " reserved forests "
have been demarcated and proclaimed on a sufficiently
large scale, and the writer would suggest that meanwhile
the following steps should be taken which he believes,
would go a long way towards arresting the destruction of
game now going on, though he does not claim that they
would entirely prevent it, viz. :—

I. A Game Board to be appointed by Government for
each Province, consisting of the Government Agent, the
Assistant Conservator of Forests and three unofficial
members, two of them Europeans, and the third a leading
native, to look after native interests.

The Board to confer on all matters relating to the game
laws, registration of guns, sale of hides and horns, &c.
The Government Agent to issue licenses, proclaim
sanctuaries, sanction prosecutions, fix rates, and give
orders generally with the approval of the Board.

II. Licenses to shoot game to be issued only to bona-fide
sportsmen, European or native, shooting strictly for
amusement. Such licenses to be paid for at the rate of RIO
each if taken out for a year, or any unexpired portion of
a year, and at the rate of R2*50 if taken out only for
one month.

III. In order that the "food supply of the people"
should be provided for, a number of free licenses to be
issued annually to native hunters, say one for every
five hundred inhabitants of any forest district, on the

SPORT IN CEYLOX.

following conditions, (a) that the man is a permanent resi-
dent in the district in which he is allowed to shoot, (b) that
he does not allow any other person to use his licensed gun,
(c) that he does not shoot more than a specified, limited
quantity of game during the year, (d) that he brings to
the Kachcheri the horns and hides of all deer shot, which
will be sold by auction quarterly, and half the proceeds
paid over to him, (e) that he sells the meat, either fresh
or dried, only to villagers for local consumption, at prices
fixed by the chief headman with the approval of the Game
Board, (/) that he does not use any irregular method
of killing game, such as pitfalls, traps, spring-guns, driving
with dogs, or poison, and that he does not not kill fawns,
(ff) that he does not shoot in ''sanctuaries," (h) that he
does his utmost to prevent killing of f^ame by unlicensed
persons, (i) that his license may be cancelled at any time,
without notice or compensation, if not availed of or
abused.

These free licenses to be given for purely forest districts,
and none to be given to Government officials or headmen
of any rank. The licensed hunters to be allowed to shoot
at any time all the year round, to the limit allowed, and
to be entitled to a moiety of all fines recovered for offences
against the game laws reported by them.

If, in the opinion of the Game Board, game is scarce in
any particular district, no free license to be issued for that
district, or only a very few head allowed to be killed in it.

Some of the advantages of this system of free licenses
would be that (a) a body of unpaid game-keepers would
be formed, whose interest it would be to prevent illicit
destruction of game, (b) the jungle people would be able
to get meat for food of what they are practically deprived
by the present Ordinance, (c) the useless destruction of
game through wounded animals dying in the jungle would
be reduced, as licenses would be issued only to men known
to be good shots and to possess good guns, (d) reliable

17

180 SPORT IN CEYLON.

information would be obtained to quantity of game
killed annually, and (e) the killing n each district could
be regulated to some extent according to the head of game
it carried.

. The principal danger under the system would be that
the licensed hunters will be tempted by greed to allow
other men to shoot for them ; also to exceed the limit
allowed, but there would always be plenty of persons,
jealous of their privileges, who would be ready to inform
against them. The penalty threatened by the Ordinance
of R100 fine and three months' imprisonment, with loss of
a lucrative occupation, would probably induce them to act
fairly honestly.

IV. All guns to be licensed annually, at the rate of
B2'50 each for breechloaders, and Bl each for muzzle-
loaders.

V. The close season to be abolished as having failed
entirely to prevent the illicit destruction of game.

VI. Shed horns to be declared "forest produce" under
the Forest Ordinance, and the right to collect them to be
sold annually in each Province, under the condition that
none are to be removed from the Province till they have
been inspected, and a pass obtained from some duly
appointed officer.

VII. The Customs Department to be directed by
Government to keep separate returns of all sambhur hides
and horns r.ud all cheetul hides and horns exported, also
a separate- return of all shed horns. There need be no
difficulty in distinguishing- shed from cut horns ; no
intelligent man can be deceived after he has once been
shewn the difference.

CHAPTER XXT.

LOST IN THE FOREST.

HE forests of the low-country are so dense and
pathless, that it is easy for a sportsman to lose
his way when eagerly following game, even
though accompanied by a native who has lived all his life
in that locality. Almost every man who has done any
shooting to speak of, has at some time or other, felt that
unpleasant thrill following the sudden realisation of the
fact that he had not the least idea in what direction the
camp lay, and that it was getting dark ! So many have
had the disagreeable experience of passing a night in the
forest without food or sleep, that a few hints as to how
such a predicament may be avoided or its inconveniences
minimized will probably not be considered out of place
here.

It is an excellent plan for a sportsman, on arrival at his
shooting ground, to carefully study the best map of the
district he has been able to procure, and to fix in his mind
the position of all the natural and artificial features of the
country in the neighbourhood of his camp. It is then
fairly easy for him at any time, when he has lost his
bearings in dense forest, to decide in what direction he
should go to be sure of striking, sooner or later, some
particular road or river or stretch of paddy-fields.

Every man going on a shooting-trip to the low-country
should provide himself with a good pocket compase, a

132 SPORT IN CEYLON.

" day and night" one for choice, that is one, the half of the
revolving card of which is coloured black, making it
possible, even on a dark cloudy night, to distinguish the
north and south line. It should be always worn like a
watch when out shooting. The probability is, however,
that after being taken out fifty times without being
required, it will be found to have been left in camp on
the occasion when it is at last urgently wanted !

As a rule, any villager acting as guide, can be depended
upon so long as his employer does not go more than a few
miles from the village, and sticks to paths, stream-beds and
game-tracks familiar to him, but should the sportsman
plunge into the deep forest, say in pursuit of a wounded
animal, the guide will probably shew before long by his
hesitation and nervous manner that he does not know
where he is. There are, of course, natives, notably Veddahs,
possessed of highly-developed "bumps of locality," who
will unerringly make their way, almost in a bee line, to
any desired spot, but they are the exception. It is generally
safer for a European who has not learnt much wood-craft,
to leave his native guide to find a way out when lost, how-
ever small his confidence in the man may be. In any case,
no good whatever will result from frightening the fellow
with threats and curses.

On realizing that one is lost, the first thing to be done, in
the absence of a compass, is to glance at the sun and fix
the west as near as possible, which may be some degrees
to the north or south of the point where the sun sinks
below the tree tops, according to the time of the year.
Many men while out after game make mental note, almost
instinctively, of the direction in which they are going, and
if the belated sportsman has do'ne this, he should be able
with his knowledge of the surrounding country derived
from his map, and of the position of the west, to decide
approximately in what direction the camp lies. If it is
possible to get a view over the forest from some high rock

SPORT IN CEYLON. 133

or lofty tree near by, he will be able to fix his position
better, but such rocks are rarely at hand when wanted, and
the taller kinds of trees rising above the forest have usually
trunks too straight and smooth to be climbed even by a
native.

When the probable direction of the camp has been
decided on, no time should be lost in making straight for it
through the forest as fast as possible, blazing trees and
breaking twigs on the way as guiding marks in case it is
discovered that the direction taken is entirely wrong, and
it is necessary to return to the starting point. It is very
difficult without a compass, to keep on a straight course
when hurrying through darkening forest, dodging the trees
and pushing through the undergrowth, especially if it is a
cloudy evening and the position of the sinking sun is
uncertain. A circuitous or zigzaggy line is sure to be
taken unless the compass is constantly consulted, or the
sun frequently glanced at.

If after a time it seems pretty evident that there is little
chance of making his way to camp, the sportsman should
turn his attention to finding some good place to spend the
night in. If he comes across a well-defined game track
he should follow it, as it will probably lead to some drinking
place where he can get water, or to some rocks or open
place where he can stay till daylight, with greater comfort
and feeling of security than in the dense forest.

It is of little use for a belated sportsman to continue his
efforts to find his way back to the camp after night fall.
He will only go wandering about in circles in the dark and
become exhausted with fatigue, anxiety and thirst. It is
much better to resign oneself to the prospect of a night in
the forest and to trust to one's frionds or followers. The
native guide should be sent up the nearest high tree and
ordered to fire signals of distress at intervals of from ten
minutes to half an hour according to number of cartridges
available. So fired, the reports will be heard more dis-

134 SPORT IN CEYLON.

tinctly and at a greater distance, than if fired at ground
level, the forest having the effect of deadening the sounds.
If ammunition is all spent it is a good plan to blow through
the barrel of one's gun like a bugle, if the trick has been
learned. With a little practice sounds may be produced
which will be audible a mile or two away on a still night.
Shouting is of little use, unless there is reason to believe
that there are natives at some paddy-field or chena not far
off, or that a rescue party is near. Guides, however, on
these occasions invariably yell themselves hoarse, and as it
serves to employ their energies and to keep up their spirits,
they should be allowed to exercise their voices as they please.

When an hour or two have passed, and no answering
shots or cries have been heard, there is nothing to be done
but to make oneself as comfortable as circumstances
permit. If matches are available, a big fire should be lit.
One of the party should stay awake to keep the fire burn-
ing and listen for indications of the coming of the search
party, while the rest sleep as well as the mosquitoes and
ticks will let them. There is little fear of attack by wild
beasts, as real rogue-elephants and man-eating leopards are
exceedingly rare, and other animals, if they happen to come
near, will bolt at once on smelling human beings or seeing
the fire. It is only inflicting useless discomfort on oneself
to climb into trees, and the danger of dropping asleep and
falling down, to the risk of life and limb, is not slight.

Should a shower be heard coming up it is a good plan to
strip, to roll up one's clothes into a ball and place them in
the hollow of a tree, or under a stone, or in any other dry
place, to be resumed when the rain is over. It is safer and
less disagreeable to stand naked in the rain for a time than
to spend the night in wet clothes.

On reaching camp next day the unlucky sportsman
should take a hot bath, a dose of quinine, and have a good
sleep, and if he is a man of ordinary physic and constitution
the probabilities are that he will be ng^e the worse for the
night spent in the warm, dry forest.*

CHAPTER XXII.

HINTS FOR A SHOOTING TRIP.

. HE first thing to be done by any one proposing
to go on a shooting trip to the low-country is,
if he is resident in Ceylon, to join the Game
Protection Society, if he is not already a member. If he
is only a visitor to the Island he will find that a donation
to the funds of the Society will not be resented by the
Hon. Secretary.

With Whom to Go. — To enjoy a shooting trip it is almost
necessary to have one or more congenial companions ; it is
not often that a man is met with who prefers going alone.
Most people are apparently of opinion that in a trip of this
kind, as in love, " two's company, three's none," it being
a matter of common experience that when more than two
men go together, unless they are tried comrades and every-
thing goes well, disagreements are almost certain to arise.
The choice of a companion on a trip which may extend to
several weeks is an important matter. To go with a
bad-tempered man is fatal. During even the best-arranged
trips accidents and delays are sure to happen, calculated
to try the sweetest of tempers ; the weather becomes bad,
servants and coolies fall ill, stores and drinks give out, and
a man who cannot put up with such troubles without
curses and complaints will spoil the pleasure of any trip.
Among persons to be avoided as companions on shooting
trips are, the physically weak man who might * knock up

136 SPORT IX CT3YLOX.

any day and bring the trip to an abrupt end ; the man who
does not particularly care for sport, who will probably get
tired of the outing and want to go home at the most
inconvenient time ; the ultra-keen man, who is broken-
hearted, and bores his companions with his wails if he
misses an easy shot ; also the pig-headed, selfish man, who
wants everything his own way.

Where to Go. — The decision as to the best part of the
country to go to on a shooting trip, depends, in the case of
a resident in the Island, very much on where he happens
to be living. A planter in the Matale district would
naturally select Tamankaduwa, while another in the
Haputale district would no doubt prefer Hambantota, in
each case simply on account of its proximity. As a rule,
the more remote a jungle district is from civilization, the
better is the shooting to be got there, but such districts
are not only difficult and expensive to get to, but valuable
time is wasted on the way there. It is generally admitted
that the best shooting is to be had in the Vanni, the great
forest-district in the North, and in the almost uninhabited
tract, half way between Batticaloa and Hambantota.
Good sport may however be had, if properly looked for,
almost anywhere in the low-country except south of
Puttalam on the west coast, and east of Tangalle on the
south coast.

It has sometimes happened that men, when about to
start on a shooting trip, have heard that another party
had just gone to the district to which they had proposed
to go, and they have accordingly changed all their plans
at great inconvenience, and gone somewhere else, under
the impression that the other party wrould " disturb" the
game, and make good sport impossible for a time for those
following them. The absurdity of this idea will be
manifest when it is considered that in that district scores
of guns, in the hands of native hunters, are popping day
and night. A few extra guns would make no difference

SPORT IN CEYLON. 137

whatever. Three or four parties might shoot in one
district, from different camps, without materially spoiling
each other's sport.

When to Go. — For all-round-shooting the best time for a
trip to the low-country is between the middle of January
and the end of March. By the earlier date the north-east
monsoon is generally over, and cool, dry weather may be
expected. The hot weather begins early in April and con-
tinues till the end of October. The south-west monsoon
is little felt in the northern and eastern parts of the
Island. Little rain falls, and dry hot winds blow from
June to September which speedily dry up the tanks and
river-pools. For night-shooting the best time is between
the beginning of July and the middle of October, when there
are few drinking-places left to which bears and other
animals can go. If the south-west monsoon rains are
unusually heavy night-shooting may not be possible till the
end of August, The "sowing rains " in September some-
times spoil such sport.

A shooting trip at any season of the year should, if
possible, be arranged to begin when the moon is a few days
old. It is a great advantage and pleasure to have moon-
light when travelling or camping in the jungle.

How to Go. — The most convenient and expeditious way of
travelling in the low-country is with coolies. It is however
expensive, and only planters and others who have command
of labour, can, as a rule, obtain them. They are commonly
not to be had in the villages, and if, with the help of Govern-
ment officers and headmen, they are procured, they have to
be so highly paid in proportion to the loads they carry,
will only go such short distances, break dow^n so easily and
are altogether so unsatisfactory, that unless the distance
to be travelled is very short, it is better to have nothing to
do with village coolies. When harvesting paddy or clear-
ing chenas their services cannot be got for "love or money."
Bazaar coolies engaged in towns are usually drunken

18

138 SPOUT IN CEYLON.

diseased scoundrels, who will bolt with their advances on
the first opportunity.

Carts are convenient for the transport of baggage where
there are roads, but on the arrival of a party at the
shooting-ground, coolies are usually required to carry the
things to camp some miles away in the jungle. The rate
of cart hire all over the low-country is ordinarily R1'50
per day.

Elephants, hiredfrom Sinhalese headmen and contractors,
have sometimes been engaged to carry the baggage of a
shooting party, but they are very expensive, costing from
R4 to R8 per day ; will carry comparatively small loads
and get ill or galled very easily.

Tavalams or pack-bullocks or ponies have been tried for
transport of baggage, but have never proved a success.
The animals are constantly straying off and cannot be found
when wanted, always take a long time and require skill
and patience to load, and travel very slowly.

Horses should always be provided. As the stabling and
food they will get may prove to be of the roughest, no
valuable animals should, of course, be taken. Strong
country ponies which will be none the worse for being out
all night in the rain, and can live on grass if need be, are the
best to take. They should be re-shod just before starting.

Where to put up. — All over the low-country along the
numerous roads, at intervals of nine to fifteen miles, are
resthouses of different classes, all more or less furnished.
Good shooting is not, as a rule, to be obtained in the
immediate neighbourhood of a resthouse, though there
are some, in out-of-the-way places, from the verandahs of
which shots may sometimes be had at deer, wild pigs,
peafowl, hares and other game. The permission of
Government, represented by the Chairman of the Provincial
or District Road Committee, has to be obtained in all
cases for the occupation of a resthouse for more than three

SPORT IN CEYLON. 139

days, but this rule does not often cause inconvenience, for
unless game is very plentiful, which is unfortunately rare,
shooting parties do not usually stop more than a few days
in any place.

There are also a good many road, tank, forest and
circuit bungalows, built for the accommodation of Govern-
ment officers travelling on duty. They are generally
small buildings of rough timber with mud walls and
thatched roofs, and usually contain little or no furniture.
Good sport may often be got in the immediate neighbour-
hood of these bungalows. Permission to occupy them
must be obtained from the provincial departmental officers
in charge.

It is sometimes convenient for a shooting party to take
up quarters in a village, and it is usual to put up at the
house of the headman. Attached to it there is almost
certain to be a large open shed where all the work of the
household, except the cooking, is done. Such a shed, hung
round with mats and cloths does not make bad quarters in
dry weather. All cots, stools and other native furniture
in the shed should be put outside, or not made use of, as they
are likely to be full of bugs. There are seldom any fleas,
owing to the frequent application of cow dung to the rnud
floor of all native houses. It seems scarcely necessary to
say that a present to the owner of any building occupied
should always be given on departure, but this acknowledge-
ment of civility is often forgotten.

When other accommodation is not available, the little,
mud-built thatched Roman Catholic Chapels to be found in
many villages may be occupied without the people raising
any objection, provided nothing is done to offend their
religious prejudices. Heathen temples and mosques cannot,
of course, be entered by Europeans.

In the low-country in the dry weather it is possible to
camp out in the open under a shady tree for many days

140 SPORT IN CEYLON.

together with little fear of rain falling, but anyone
"roughing it " in this fashion must take his chance of
fever and chills.

It is sometimes necessary when shooting in a part of the
country where there are no villages, rest-houses, or Govern-
ment bungalows, to camp in the jungle. In such case it is
generally better to put up huts built of jungle sticks, with
grass walls and roofs for the whole party, including servants
and coolies, and also stabling for the horses. They should,
of course, be quite ready for occupation before the arrival
of the party. A trustworthy man should be sent before-
hand to superintend the work, for which villagers may be
engaged through the local headman. If small advances are
given there will be no difficulty in getting the services of
the villagers, who are accustomed to put up such huts. The
site selected should be a shady place near good water.
The ground should be well cleared and swept, or the camp is
likely to be infested by ticks or invaded by armies of black
ants, whose bite is most painful. The stables should be
built so as not to face the " land wind," if blowing.

A small double-topped tent, large enough for two people
to sleep in, and sufficiently light with poles, ropes, &c., for
two coolies to carry, is a useful but not indispensable thing
to take on a jungle trip. If it is proposed to camp under
canvas, sheets of drill or khaki, twelve feet square for
roofing and walling huts and stables built of jungle sticks
for servants, coolies and horses should also be taken. It
should be remembered that the weight of tents, unless
made of waterproof canvas, is greatly increased when they
get wet, and that they are never so healthy and cool to live
in as thatched huts. It is an excellent plan to take on a
trip a number of "talipots," which are sheets or mats about
eight feet by four feet, made of the leaf of the talipot palm.
Being very light, perfectly waterproof and cheap, costing
about fifty cents each in Colombo, they will be found useful
for many purposes.

8PORT IN CEYLON. 141

A big camp fire should be kept burning every night. It
may prevent a starving leopard carrying off the dogs, and
has a cheerful picturesque look.

What to Take. — It may be accepted as a maxim that it is
better to take rather too many things on a shooting-trip
than too few. It is a great mistake to "rough it," and to
run risk of spoiling the pleasure of a trip, or of losing health
for want of a few conveniences and comforts. A man
should, in fact, live rather better when camping or travel-
ling in the jungle than he is accustomed to do at home.

Not one man in ten will take the trouble, but it is an
excellent plan to number all boxes, &c., taken on a trip,
and to make lists of their contents.

Clothes. — As regards clothes, it is necessary to state first
that a chill may be taken in the low-country quite as
easily as up-country, while the after-effects are likely to be
worse. The use of flannel is apt to produce in those not
accustomed to the heat of the plains that distressing skin
eruption, " prickly heat," but there can be no doubt that
it is the safest thing to wear, provided it is thin and soft.
A light sun-hat which shades the back of the head well is,
of course, indispensable. For shooting in the evergreen
forests of the low-country, clothes of a brown colour
dashed with green, or entirely green, should be worn, and
the hat be covered with the same material. Light shoes
with thin or india-rubber soles, in which it is possible to
creep about the jungle noiselessly over the rotten sticks
and dead leaves, are much better than heavy thick-soled
boots.

Camp Furniture. — Every member of a shooting-party
should be provided with a camp bed, a canvas lounge chair
and a camp stool. Mosquito curtains for the bed must
not on any account be forgotten, nor a blanket, as it is
sometimes very chilly in the night in the low-country,
in the earlier part of the year. All bedding should be

142 SPORT IN CEYLON.

wrapped up most carefully in hold-alls or water-proofs
secure from damp. The lounge chair will he found a great
comfort in camp, and should invariably be taken. A
hammock is an excellent thing to take. Even if not used
as a substitute for a bed, it can be slung up anywhere
for taking a siesta in, and will be most useful if any one
of the party meets with an accident or is taken ill, and
has to be carried to the nearest hospital. Waterproof bed
sheets, about six feet by three feet, are useful things to
have, to be laid on the damp ground when night-shooting,
on tops of camp beds in leaky huts or tents, and used in
other ways. One folding table about four feet square, for
meals, should be taken. All clothes and store boxes should
be raised off the ground on stones when in camp to save
the contents from white ants and other insects.

Stores. — A good supply of tinned food should be taken,
not so much for daily use as to be kept in reserve in case
of ordinary supplies failing. Men who have gone on
shooting-trips intending to "live on their guns," have
generally repented it. A number of tins of prepared soup
are most excellent things to have. They can be opened and
warmed in a few minutes, and nothing is so comforting to
a man, too hungry and tired to wait till his dinner is
cooked, like a plate of hot soup. It is generally necessary
to take a reserve stock of horse food, as grain is seldom
procurable in the jungle, and paddy not always. In the
event of the horse food giving out, and no paddy being
obtainable, the horses might be fed with Indian corn grown
in the chenas which is generally to be got.

Drinks. — As regards drinks every man will, of course, be
guided by his own wants and tastes. All that need be said
is that the heat usually promotes a far larger consumption
of alcoholic beverages than is conducive to health.

Most men have an exaggerated idea of the deadly nature
of low-country water, judging solely by its appearance,
but, as a matter of fact, the turbid, odorous tank and river

SPORT IN CEYLON. 143

water is often perfectly innocuous, while clear, sparkling
water running throvigh tea estates in the hills might easily
swarm with disease germs. Nevertheless, to avoid all risks,
all water drunk on a shooting-trip should first be filtered
and then boiled. Every man should take his own filter,
and make as little use as possible of rest-house filters,
as they are seldom cleaned and are generally worse than
useiess. Some men think that when very hot and pers-
piring freely they can safely drink bad water, the idea being
that it will run off through the pores and leave no ill-
effects ; but whether the doctors will support this theory
is doubtful.

If the expense need not be considered, it is as well to
take an ample supply of soda water, but in such case a cart
will have to be employed, as it will be far too heavy to be
carried by coolies. It is, however, a delusion to suppose
that saturating water with carbonic acid gas — that is,
making soda water, will kill all deleterious germs that may
be in it. Death has often resulted in the East from
drinking soda water made in native bazaars from water
obtained from contaminated wells. Aerated waters are
made at most of the outstations, but they are nearly always
inferior to what may be obtained in Colombo.

Local Supplies. — Bice, fowls, and eggs may usually be
procured in the jungle villages at cheap rates. It is better,
however, to bring such rice for one's servants and coolies,
as they are accustomed to, and not to trust to procuring
supplies locally. Natives are very fastidious about their
rice, and upcountry coolies will grumble fiercely if forced
to eat the dark-coloured, gritty stuff to be got in the low-
country. The village fowls are small and tough-eating,
and the eggs, at the time of purchase, have generally got
the last of the three stages of freshness recognised by
native cooks, "boiled-egg," " poached-egg " and "omlette-
egg." Pumpkins, cucumbers, brin jails and sweet potatoes,
grown in the chenas, may often be got, and sometimes

144 SPORT IN CEYLON.

plantains. Manioc does not make a bad substitute for
potatoes at a pinch. In jungle villages off the cart road
straw for horses and thatching huts may generally be had
for nothing.

Game as Food. — Meat, provided by the guns of the party,
is usually plentiful in a shooting camp, but is generally
dry tasteless stuff. Venison, in the opinion of most men,
is not to be compared with good beef and mutton, unless it
happens to be the meat of a stag with its antlers "in
velvet," when it is generally fat and juicy. A young wild
pig is fairly good eating, but the flesh of an old boar or
sow is rather rank. Sportsmen sometimes amuse them-
selves by trying fancy dishes while in camp, such as roast
monkey, salted elephant tongue, bear-ham, stewed iguana
and curried flying-fox, but do not repeat such experiments
often. Many men will not touch hares or jungle-fowl
which have been shot near villages, because they feed on
the offal and filth lying round the huts, but this fastidious-
ness seems unreasonable when it is considered what foul
feeders the ordinary village fowls are, which are eaten by
every body without hesitation.

Servants. — The success of a shooting-trip depends so much
on the servants and coolies taken, that no trouble should
be spared to make them comfortable and contented. There
should be no divided responsibility among the servants, or
each of them will look solely after his own master, to the
general discomfort. The catering should be entrusted to
one man, the cooking to another, and each member of the
party should have his own boy to look after his personal
belongings. Servants, who have had some experience of
jungle travelling, should be taken, if possible. Men with
quarrelsome dispositions should be left at home, however
excellent they may be in other respects. Nothing is more
annoying than to have servants and coolies quarrelling in
camp. It is politic to allow smoking, chattering, and even
"singing" in camp to a reasonable limit, as it keeps the

SPORT IN CEYLON. 145

men in good temper. Their food-supply should never be
allowed to run short and "treats" every now and then
should be served out to them. Every man should be pro-
vided with a sleeping-mat and a blanket, which will
probably save his services, by warding off fever, the result
of chill. Batta should be given to every man brought from
home ; and whenever any one does anything in any way
worthy of praise he should be given a small present at
once. When servants and coolies realize that a shooting
trip means extra pay, plenty of food, and presents if they
do well, they will be eager to accompany their masters on
future trips.

Care should be taken to prevent one's followers from
bullying and cheating the villagers, which they are very
prone to do.

Trackers. — The wilder and more unsophisticated the
jungle-man who has undertaken to point out game is, the
better tracker he will probably prove to be. The old
type of tracker who would squat in front of one, and after
staring hard in silence for some minutes, wo aid ask how
old one was, and whether married, and similar questions, is
unfortunately dying out. It did not do to miss easy shots
in their company, for they never told lies to please one, or
pointed to imaginary drops of blood, but grunted out that
it was a clean miss, and conveyed plainly enough by their
disgusted air what they thought of one's shooting !

There are several trackers in Trincomalee, Batticaloa
and Hambantota districts who may be called professionals.
They usually charge high for their services, and think a
great deal of themselves, having been spoilt by wealthy
sportsmen who employed them. It is doubtful whether
they are a whit better able to find game than ordinary
jungle villagers. The art of tracking game, that is following
their foot-prints or blood-trail, is little practised now, and
-when attempted is generally a failure, except in the case
of elephants, on account of the dry 11 ess and hardness of

19

146 SPORT IN CEYLON.

the ground in the low-country for the greater part of the
year. All that a sportsman need hope to get is an intelli-
gent man who knows the country round well, and is able
to take him to places where he knows that certain animals
are likely to be found, and this is generally enough. It is,
however, necessary that the tracker should understand that
his employer is a man of experience, for if he suspects him
to be a novice, he is, as likely as not, — if, for instance, bear
shooting at night is proposed, — to take him to some water-
hole where he knows no bear has been for a generation, and
snooze comfortably while his victim sits perched on a
gridiron of sticks fighting mosquitos all night ! On the
other hand, if he has confidence in the sportsman, the latter
may find his method of bringing him up to the game some-
times trying to the nerves. To be suddenly brought face
to face with some dangerous brute, and for the tracker to
drop on his heels, with the casual remark over his shoulder,
" There he is,— shoot " is apt to flurry the coolest hand !

Each village tracker is usually possessed of an ancient
ingle-barrelled gun, which he is sure to bring to the
camp with much pride, and want to take with him while
out looking for game, but it is as well to come to an early
arrangement with him that it is to be left at home.
Natives have a dangerous habit of putting the hammers
down on the caps of their loaded guns. The slightest
blow or jar is sufficient to explode the charge under these
circumstances ; and as these gas-pipe affairs are commonly
carried with the muzzle pointing up or down the path,
it is most unsafe to be in their vicinity. Moreover, if a
tracker is allowed to carry his gun, the chances are that,
through excitement or fear, he will fire it off on coming on
a dangerous game, and so spoil his employer's sport.

It is a common idea that all natives who shoot are
pot-hunters, who kill game solely to make money. It is
their primary object no doubt, but there are many
villagers for whom hunting has a fascination, and who

SPORT IN CEYLON. 147

would continue to shoot in their own way even if not a
cent was to be made out of it.

Some village hunters own first-class hunting pariah dogs.
It is a pity the employment of these brutes cannot be
prevented, as they pull down for their masters many deer,
especially half -grown ones and fawns. Sportsmen have,
however, been thankful enough sometimes for their services
in tracking wounded animals.

A jungle-man's estimate of distance is generally very
vague and unreliable. Should one say that some water
hole is about two miles from camp, it is safe to calculate
on having at least a three miles tramp to it.

A very common practice is to over-pay trackers. A
man in the joy of his heart at killing, say a big elephant,
is apt to reward the native who lead him up to it too
lavishly, quite out of proportion to the trouble and risk
the man had. The result is, that the fellow forms an
exaggerated idea of his own merits, and, when the next
shooting party comes along, expects to be remunerated on
the same scale, whether good sport is obtained or not.

Guns. — It is not easy to give advice of any value in
regard to guns required for sport in the low-country, as
so much depends on what a man can afford to pay for
them. If a man is wealthy he will of course provide
himself with a complete battery, suitable for the different .
kinds of game he is likely to meet with ; say a double
four smooth-bore for elephants and buffaloes, a '500 or
•450 double express for leopards, bears and deer, a single-
barrelled magazine small-bore, say '303, rifle accurately
sighted for long range deer-stalking in the plains, a double ,
ten-bore^ for long range wild-fowl shooting, and as a
second gun for elephant and buffaloes, a light twenty-bore
for snipe-shooting and bird-collecting, and a double twelve "
bore for general shooting. The vast majority, however,
of those for whom this little book is written will have to '•'/'

148 SPORT IN CEYLON.

be content with a couple of guns at most, and it is for
their benefit that the following hints are given : —

Almost every man "swears by" some particular gun-
maker, and has a preference for some particular make,
breech-action, &c., in regard to which, nothing more can
be said than that there is little to choose in point of
efficiency between guns turned out by different makers of
repute, and that every man must suit his own fancy and
taste. Nor can any advice be given as to weight, bore,
length of barrels, bend of stock, balance, &c., as guns
should be fitted to their owners according to their stature
and strength. All that can be done is to indicate, in
general terms, the kind of country in which shots are
usually obtained in the low-country, and to draw some
inferences therefrom.

It may be safely asserted that owing to the density of
the cover in the low-country, nine out of ten shots
obtained are within sixty yards, at which range a well-
fittirg spherical bullet from a first-class smooth-bore will,
for all practical purposes, fly as true as a rifle bullet. This
remark does not apply to rough-cast thirteen-bore bullets
fired from a twelve-bore, which, at the range mentioned,
cannot be counted on to hit a dinner plate with certainty.
The vast majority of shots are also snap-shots obtained
while the animal is bolting, and only a momentary glimpse
is got of it through the underwood. Game in the high
forest is indeed generally heard bolting before it is seen.
Fine sights are of little use in such circumstances, or indeed
any sights at all. What a sportsman then wants, is the
power to throw his gun into his shoulder and touch the
trigger almost simultaneously, and to do this, a gun is
wanted so fitting his shoulder, neck and arms as to bear
instantly and almost automatically on the object aimed
at when raised to fire. Snap-shooting is, in fact, an art
which it behoves every man ambitious to get good sport
in Ceylon to practise.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 149

A young man coming out to Ceylon, and unable to afford
more than one gun, should provide himself with a fairly
heavy, say about 8-lbs., strongly-built, twelve-bore gun
with cylindrical barrels, and able to fire five'or six drachms
of powder without risk of shaking the breech. It should
be hammerless for choice, but there are many makes of
guns, the hammers of which, when on full cock, are out of
sight of the line of fire, and so are practically hammerless.
Such a gun, by a first-rate maker, will, if care is taken to
use only accurately fitting bullets, make excellent shooting
at short ranges, but will, • of course, be found heavy for
snipe shooting &c.

If the young sportsman can afford two guns, he had better
get a lighter twelve-bore, say one about 6^ to 7-lbs. weight.
Unless he expects to get a good deal of snipe shooting it is
better not to have the left barrel choked, as the gun can
then be used with ball as a second gun when out night-
shooting or after dangerous game. His other gun should
be a *450 express, which he will find quite powerful enough
for most of the animals he is likely to come across —
elephants and buffaloes being, so to speak, luxuries.

Many men in Ceylon have gone out shooting with small
bore magazine rifles, in regard to which a few words may
be said here. They are all very well, and indeed are the
right weapons, for stalking deer in the open, arid when long
shots have to be made, but in dense forest there are grave
objections to their use. The necessity of dropping a
magazine rifle to the hip to re-load, and the second or two
required for throwing out the cartridge case and slipping
a fresh cartridge into the breech, and for re-aligning the
sights on raising it to the shoulder, will often prove just
too long to enable the second shot to be got at an animal
bolting through the thick cover of a Ceylon forest, which
shot the "left" of a double-barrelled rifle would almost
certainly have given. Should a man fire at some savage
wild beast at close quarters with a magazine rifle and miss

150 SPORT IN CEYLON.

he will have a good deal less chance of saving himself
from its attack than if armed with a double-barrelled gun,

A most important consideration in choosing guns for
sport in Ceylon is their stopping or crippling power.
Every sportsman who has been in the low-country shoot-
ing, knows well, from bitter experience, that if he fails
to find a wounded animal within a few hundred yards of
the spot where he fired at it, there is small chance of his
ever seeing it again, owing to the dense cover and the
hardness of the ground, on which no tracks to speak of
are left. Consequently bullets giving great smash or shock
are required. An elongated, nickel-cased bullet from a
modern small-bore, will go like a needle through an
animal, which, unless hit in a vital part, will gallop off
miles, scarcely conscious that it is wounded. In the hands
of a dead shot a light rifle, with a tiny pellet and a pinch
of powder, is, of course, as good as "a young cannon,"
firing a four oz. shell with twelve drachms of powder, in an
ordinary man's hands, but, as few men can claim to be
"dead shots," it is as well others should make up for
their deficiencies by using the most formidable weapons
obtainable.

Economy is an excellent thing, but it is a virtue which
may be exercised to one's disadvantage in the purchase
of a gun. Cheap " iron-monger's guns " are to be
obtained everywhere, the barrels of which were made in
Belgium and fitted to the stocks in Birmingham, and,
though these may not burst, and may even shoot fairly
well, it is far better, when buying an article on which
one's life may depend, to go to a good maker and pay a
good price, An excellent gun may, however, be bought
for a reasonable sum without going to a fashionable gun-
smith and paying five guineas extra for his name on the
ock-plate and barrels.

Other Sporting Requisites. — The carrying of a huge, heavy
hunting-knife is usually looked upon as the "outward

SPORT IN CEYLON. 151

and visible sign " of a tyro in sport. Such a knife is of
little use on a shooting trip. It is only "once in a blue
moon " that it may be wanted for defence against a wild
beast's attack, and it is not required for cutting one's way
through jungle. It is far easier and quicker to go through
jungle by pushing aside the undergrowth, and ducking
under overhanging boughs, than to clear a path. If jungle
has to be cleared a light native katti or bill-hook is the
best tool for the work. A large clasp-knife with a single '
five-inch blade of the finest steel and a catch to prevent it
closing, and provided with a swivel to hang at the belt, is|
a much handier thing to carry than a fancy hunting knife.

Other useful things to take on a shooting trip are a
collapsible canoe or boat for shooting or fishing on tanks,
a pair of small field-glasses for deer and peafowl shooting
in the plains, one or two good butcher's knives for skinning,
also a light hatchet, a steel-yard to take the weight, and
a small tape-measure to take the dimensions, of any
unusually heavy or la-rge animal killed, a spring balance
weighing up to 112 Ibs. to regulate coolie loads, &c.,
supplies of arsenical soap and carbolic acid to preserve
trophies and specimens, a powerful steel trap for leopards,
crocodile hooks with strong lines, and hooks and lines for
fishing in tanks and river pools.

A map of the country in which the trip is to be made
should be taken. One on the scale of a mile to the inch is
large enough. It can be obtained from the Surveyor-
General's Office at a cost of a few rupees.

Itineraries, in two volumes, of the principal and minor
roads in the Island were published by Government in
1888. The first volume is out of print, but copies may be
obtained if sought for ; the second may be obtained from the
Government Record Office, Colombo, for Rs. 8, with map, ; ?
and Rs. 3 without. These itineraries are now somewhat !
out of date, but a good deal of information as to distances, » '
resthouses, supplies obtainable, will be found in them.

152 SPORT IN CEYLON.

Precautions to Preserve Health. — When a man is attacked
during a shooting trip in the low-country, or on his return
home, by fever or other disease, he generally attributes it
to exposure, to malaria, or to drinking bad water. In nine
cases out of ten, however, the cause is simply exposure to
the sun and neglect of ordinary precautions. If a man
who is not accustomed to a hot climate, will, day after
day, go out before day-break, tramp about in the burning
sun, perhaps with no coat on, return to camp about
midday tired and hungry, and immediately pour into an
empty stomach a bottle of beer or a stiff whisky and
soda, he must expect to pay for his folly. Again, if a
man will sit in the land-wind in sweat-saturated clothes,
or out in the open on a dewy evening, he has no one but
himself to blame if he gets a chill, followed by fever.
Exposure to the sun and chills has laid more sportsmen
on their backs than malaria and bad water. An umbrella
is, of course, not to be thought of when one is actually
looking for game, but it is an excellent thing to have
when returning to camp and the sun is hot, and all wild
animals, with more sense than many human beings, have
retired into the shade of the forest. In fact, it is of little
use prowling about after deer and pigs after 8 o'clock, as
they are seldom to be found in the open later, unless there
has been heavy rain during the night.

The water of long-stagnant tanks and pools, though
apparently clean enough, should never be bathed in as
eczema is likely to result. All cuts and abrasions should
be attended to promptly and carefully, as they are liable
in the low-country to turn into nasty sores difficult to
heal. It is not a bad plan to take a small dose of quinine
every day during a shooting trip as a precaution.

Fever, dysentery, diarrhoea and sunstroke being the
principal physical ills flesh is heir to in the low-country,
suitable medicines should be taken. A large bottle of
castor oil or salts should be provided for dosing servants

SPORT IN CEYLON. 153

and coolies, who are apt to make themselves ill by gorging
on game, a diet to which they are unaccustomed. Lint
and sticking plaister should be taken in case of accidents.
A pair of tweezers for the extraction of thorns, if taken,
will be found to be often required.

Throughout the low-country, even in most out-of-the-way
places, Government have established small field-hospitals
to which members of shooting parties who have met with
accidents, or are seriously ill, can be taken for treatment.

Insect Pests. — So much of the pleasure of shooting in the
low-country is spoilt by the attacks of insects of many
kinds, that a few words as to how these annoyances may
be minimized may be found useful.

The two principal insect pests are land-leeches and ticks.
The former are principally found in the damp forests of the
western parts of the Island, but a few may be picked up in
certain forests of the north and east. In tramping through
forest infested by them, it is almost impossible to escape
them entirely, but a good many may be choked off by wear-
ing field boots or leech-gaiters smeared with citronella oil.
This oil is so powerfully scented, that boots anointed with it
retain the odour a long time, even though the wearer
tramps through wet jungle and grass all the morning.

Ticks are only found in the drier parts of the country,
and principally in the rainless months from May to
October ; they are seldom seen at other times of the year.
There are two kinds, the most common being one about
the size of a pin's head, of which hundreds may be seen
swarming on a single leaf, and the other a rqund flat
insect about the size of a split pea. There is no way of
avoiding these creatures. Any one shooting in a part of
the country infested by them will find it necessary to have
all his clothes soaked in boiling water every day on return-
ing from the jungle, in order to kill the ticks swarming
over them. Their bite, especially when they get to tender

20

154 SPORT IN CEYLON.

parts, as between the toes, is very painful, and the tickling
sensation produced by the crawling of the minute creatures
over one during the night is very irritating.

Mosquitoes are found everywhere in the low-country, but
are a real pest only after the rains between February and
August, The forests are then full of them, especially in
the neighbourhood of water, and they often make evening
in camp a misery. They are little felt at other times, and
almost entirely disappear during the height of the dry
weather and also of the rains. The anopheles^ the newly-
discovered fever-giving musquito, has been discovered in
not a few places in the low-country.

Not to scratch leech, tick or mosquito bites is advice con-
stantly given, but seldom followed. Strong carbolic oil or
other dressing should always be applied to them. Neglect
of tick bites on the feet may result in a man being lamed
for weeks.

Fleas are not such a pest in the low-country as in the
hills. If it is necessary to occupy an old building or shed
infested by them, the best way to destroy them is to sweep
the floor with blazing torches of straw or dry grass. The
same method may be employed to get rid of the armies of
black ants which sometimes invade camps. At certain
seasons of the year a grey fly called kurudi by the Tamils
is a great annoyance. It stings almost as soon as it alights,
and is most persistent in its attacks. Horses and cattle
become almost unmanageable under its assaults. In the
dry, still weather eye-flies are an intolerable nuisance,
making it difficult to do any reading or writing during the
day unless a coolie is employed to keep them off with a fan.

Among other undesirable creatures with which acquaint-
ance is often made in camp are snakes, scorpions, centi-
pedes, hornets, stinging caterpillars and red ants. The
simplest way to avoid these is to take care not to camp
near heaps of rubbish, or hollow or rotten trees, and to have
the ground round the camp swept every day.

CHAPTER XXIII.

A FEW "DON'TS" FOR THE BENEFIT OF
INEXPERIENCED SPORTSMEN AND OTHERS.

X>

ON'T call leopards "cheetahs," or sambhur
"elk," or cheetul "spotted deer," or muntjak
"red-deer."

Don't break the game laws, however much you may be
tempted, or however small the chance of detection.

Don't break them under the very poor excuse that others,
notably natives, do so.

If you will do it, don't ever afterwards speak of native
hunters as "poachers."

Don't forget that your object is " sport " pure and simple.
Consequently don't adopt native methods of killing game.

Don't fire at deer and pigs at drinking-places by moon-

light.

Don't fire at any creature which is neither dangerous, nor
has trophies of any value or interest, nor is fit to eat.

Don't fire at cow-elephants, cow-buffaloes, hinds, does or
sows, or immature male animals.

If you will shoot cow-elephants and cow-buffaloes, don't
plead in excuse that otherwise you would have got no
"sport," for the admission will prove you to have been

156 SPORT IN CEYLON.

actuated by mere blood-thirstiness and not genuine sport-
ing instinct.

If you will shoot hinds and does, don't try to make your
friends believe that you did so to provide food for your
men. They will know well enough that if you had made
proper arrangements for provisioning your party, such
slaughter would have been unnecessary.

Don't murder monkeys, either wantonly or to provide
some lady-friend with a " dear little baby-monkey."

Don't fire if there is no reasonable chance of killing, e.g.,
when the animal is bolting directly from you, or through
dense under-wood, or is standing in a bad light.

Don't use buck-shot to kill deer or pigs.

Unless you are a dead shot and have first-class nerves,
don't use small-bore rifles (except for long range shooting)
or light guns. For your own sake and that of the game
you go after, use the heaviest and most paralyzing weapons
you can afford to buy, or are able to carry.

Don't, when pleased with yourself, make extravagant
presents to trackers and others, out of all proportion to
their services, thus spoiling the chances of poorer men
getting sport at reasonable cost.

If anything strange happens to you when out shooting
don't relate the incident in the presence of persons who are
not sportsmen, or who know nothing of the habits of wild
beasts ; or what King David said in his haste of all men
will probably be applied to you in particular.

Don't take a loaded gun into a house or tent.

Don't lay a loaded gun on the bottom of a cart or trap.

If you will do it, don't, in your haste to get a shot, draw it
out with the muzzle towards you.

SPORT IN CEYLON. 157

Don't carry a gun cross- wise, but on the shoulder, if on
the tramp, or against the hip, pointing forwards, if near
game.

Don't go bending or crawling through dense jungle, or
scrambling over rocks, with the gun on full-cock.

Don't raise your gun to your shoulder till you have
wheeled to your shot.

Don't, turning as on a pivot, blindly follow with your f?un
at your shoulder, game bolting or flying to the right or left,
if you would avoid giving your friends occasion for blas-
phemy.

Don't fire over a ducking man.

Don't dig the end of your rifle into the ground in your
eagerness when stalking game on all fours and pushing
the weapon before you, or you may choke the muzzle with
earth and get a nasty jar when you fire, if no worse thing
happen to you.

Don't forget, when about to fire, that bullets and shot
will glance off rocks and trees.

Don't keep a gun on full-cock a moment longer than is
necessary.

Don't half-cock your gun carelessly. Ease down the
hammer and then draw it back with a click, when you will
have a firm half-cock which will not jar off.

Don't uncock your gun on a rainy day till you are sure it is
pointing into space, for the wet hammer may slip from your
thumb as you ease the trigger and so explode the charge.

Some guns have very small back-set hammers. Don't
lower these till you have opened the breech.

Some men have a foolish habit of frequently pointing
their guns at objects at which they do not intend to fire.
Dont do it,

158 SPORT IN CEYLON.

Don't leave your guns to be cleaned by your servants.

Don't fire at an object moving in the dark until you are
quite certain what it is. The Coroner may make himself
objectionable about it.

Don't expose yourself unnecessarily to the sun ; and not
at all to chills, by sitting in damp clothes, &c.

On your return to camp, hot, tired and thirsty, after a
long tramp in the sun, don't immediately gulp down a
bottle of beer or a whiskey and soda, but sip your drink
slowly while you cool down.

If you will disregard these precautions, don't, on your
return home, attribute your illness to " drinking bad
water."

Lastly, when you get home from a low-country shooting
trip, safe and well, don't measure its success by the number
of animal-lives you took, but think of the elephants you
saw by moonlight drinking at the tank, of the butting-
match between two bucks out in the open which you
watched through your glasses, of the monkeys which gam-
bolled undisturbed in the tree over your tent, of the night
when Jones stepped out of bed into an army of venomous
"kaddiyar " ants, and the recording-angel had to resort to
shorthand to take down his remarks, of the appearance
Smith presented after he had rashly undertaken to cut a
honey-comb out of a tree, of the delightful evenings round
the blazing camp fire, and all the other incidents of the trip,
exciting or comical, which more than justify you in saying
you had "a jolly good time," though you may not have
brought back a single decent trophy,

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

jo

sun*) jo

uo pui?
suM.oq. ui sunrj jo

jo mo suno jo

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u suno jo

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P- O ^4 CO ?5 H ^PU ft4

ii.

APPENDIX.

Number of Elephants exported from Ceylon during the
last Thirty-seven Years.

Year.

111

r* $-i

fl o

S3 P<

Value.

Average
value of

Year.

*- ^
Jo
g
a o

g PH

Value

Average
value of

fc £

eacn.

fcg

each.

Rs.

Rs.

c.

Ks.

Ks.

c.

1613

470757

1863

173

28690

165

84

1882

25

10100

404

00

1864

294

45920

156

19

1883

86

40010

465

23

1865

271

72660

268

11

1884

51

21000

411

77

1866

103

63250

614

07

1885

17

9700

570

59

1867

148

23280

157

29

1886

50

19100

382

00

1868

167

47450

284

13

1887

58

26000

448

27

1869

99

46500

469

69

1888

57

33550

588

59

1870

38

8050

211

84

1889

—

1871

74

17600

237

84

1890

42

31050

739

29

1872

53

22270

420

19

1891

48

34350

715

62

1873

83

28900

348

19

1892

24

26750

1114

58

1874

77

41302

536

39

1893

21

18400

876

19

1875

7

3500

500

00

1894

36

36000

1000

00

1876

3

1000

333

33

1895

12

10800

900

00

1877

1

500

500

00

1896

29

24700

851

72

1878

1

500

500

00

1897

9

9500

1055

55

1879

1

710

710

00

1898

3

4800

1600

00

1880

12

11205

933

75

1899

9

15750

1750

00

1881

8

7470

933

75

—

—

—

—

—

1613

470757

Total

2190

842317

Note. — It will be seen from the above figures that the
declared value of elephants exported from the Island
during the last ten years is nearly double that of the
previous ten years, probably owing to the demand which
has recently arisen in England, America, and the Continent
for elephants for Zoological Gardens and Circuses.

The value of elephants has been steadily increasing
during the last forty years. In the sixties the average
value of each animal exported was Rs. 261*15 ; in the
seventies Rs. 367*84 ; in the eighties Rs. 489*35 ; and in
the nineties Rs. 910*30.

APPENDIX. 111.

c.

Number of Rogue Elephants, Leopards and Bears
destroyed, for which rewards were paid since passing of
Game Ordinance No. 6 of 1872 ; during years specified,

Province.

District.

Period.

Kogue
Ele-
phants.

Leo-
pards.

Bears.

Western . . .

Colombo
Kalutara

1876—1899

»j

1

1

—

—

Central

Kandy
NuwaraEliya ..
Matale

1872-1899

»j
»»

—

28
2

253

1

Northern

Jaffna
Mannar
Mullaittivu
Vavuniya

1876—1899
1880—1892

JJ

6

2333
896
439
573

966
231
271
184

Southern ...

Galle
Matara
Hambantota ...

1882—1899
)j
j>

E

23
1056

288

North-West-
ern

Kurunegala ...
Puttalam
Chilaw

1873—1899
1872-1899
1888—1899

5
2

722
370

7

8
69

Eastern ...

ISorth-Cent-
ral

Batticaloa
Trincomalee . . .

1879—1899
1885-1899

1874—1899

4
1

493
12

1207

57

40

264

Province of
Sabaraga-
muwa

Ratnapura
Kegalle

1

Province of
Uva

Estimated
years for whi
missing

bo have been dest
eh the Kachcheri

1876—1899

royed during
records are

Total...

--

59

22
2401

100

21

8473
400

21

8873

2501

IV.

APPENDIX.

D.

Number of Licenses to shoot Elephants, Buffaloes, and
Game issued since passing of the Game Ordinance No. 10
of 1891: —

Province.

District.

To

shoot
Ele-
phants.

To

shoot
Buf-
faloes.

To
shoot
Game.

Western

Colombo

12

8

• -

Kalutara

—

—

4

Centril

Kandy

2

148

Nuwara Eliya ..

—

—

186

Matale

—

—

441

Northern

Jaffna

3

51

Mannar

—

2

13

Mullaittivu

—

—

15

Vavuniya

9

1

21

Southern

Galle

18

33

24

Matara

—

—

—

Ham ban tola

50

94

209

Nor th- Western...

Kurunegala

7

7

44

Puttalam

4

14

154

Chilaw

—

—

21

Eastern

Batticaloa

25

40

156

Trincomalee

32

13

449

North-Central ...

—

15

6

329

Province of Sa-\
baragamuwaj

Rat-japura
Kegalle

4

1

189

8

Province of Uva

—

49

41

337

Total

230

252

2807

APPENDIX. V.

E.

CLOSE SEASONS.

FOB SAMBHUB, CHEETUL, AND MUNTJAK.
Western Province ... 1st June to 31st October

Central ,, ... ... do

Northern ,, ... ... 1st October to 1st March

Southern ,, ... ... 1st November to 31st March

Magam Pattu only ... 1st June to 31st October

North- Western Province ... 30th June to 31st October
Eastern ,, ... 1st June to 31st October

North-Central ,, ... do

Province of Sabaragamuwa... 1st July to 31st October-
Pro vince of Uva ... ... 1st June to 31st October

FOB PEAFOWL.

Western Province ... 1st November to 31st March

Central „ ... ... Nil.

Northern ,, ... ... 1st November to 31st March

Southern ,, ... ... Nil.

Magam Pattu only- ... 1st November to 31st March

North- Western Province ... 30th June to 31st October

Eastern „ ... 1st June to 31st October

North-Central ,, ... do

Province of Sabaragamuwa... 1st July to 31st October

Province of Uva ... ... 1st June to 31st October

APPENDIX.

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Advertisements.

B. D. SARNALJS,

TAXIDERMIST,

DESIGNER /\ND PRESERVER OF TROPHIES OF ALL SPECIMENS OF SPORTS.

SKIMS OF ANIMALS tanned, cured, and mounted as rugs, &c.
Birds f Insects, &c. Stuffed & mounted in cases, on stand as Screens, &c.

HORNS, HEADS, &c. MOUNTED FOR HALLS.

ELEPHANT FEET as Work Boxes, Footstools, &c. Hoofs as Pin Cushions,
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seen, even Roland Ward's stuffing." Mr. Thos. Farr, says : — " He
takes great pains with the trophies sent to him, and I strongly
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